I.M.S. SCIENCE NAME: _____________PERIOD: ___ DATE:_____
Medicine Half-Life Lab: Element decay rates.
MATERIALS: Calculator,
Complete the chart below to determine how long it would take for each fraction of the atoms in each element to decay.
|
Element |
Half-Life |
½ remains |
¼ remains |
1/8 remains |
|
Americium 241 |
475 years |
|
|
|
|
Bismuth 212 |
60.5 min. |
|
|
|
|
Carbon 14 |
5730 yrs. |
|
|
|
|
Hydrogen 3 |
12.26 yrs. |
|
|
|
|
Iron 59 |
45.6 days |
|
|
|
|
Polonium 216 |
16 seconds |
|
|
|
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Sodium 24 |
15 hours |
|
|
|
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Uranium 235 |
710 million yrs. |
|
|
|
|
Uranium 238 |
4.5 billion yrs. |
|
|
|
Many Isotopes are used in medicine to diagnose or treat
illness. Without such opportunities it would be much more difficult to detect
tumors or monitor the activity in our internal organs.
Using the chart
below, fill in the chart at the bottom of this sheet to indicate which
radioisotopes might be used in each of the two major categories of medical
tests.
|
Isotope |
Half-Life |
Uses |
|
Arsenic 74 |
17.9 days |
Isolate brain tumors |
|
Barium 131 |
12.0 days |
Detect bone tumors |
|
Carbon 14 |
5730 years |
Treat brain tumors |
|
Chromium 51 |
27.8 days |
Determine blood volume |
|
Cobalt 60 |
5.26 years |
Treat brain tumors |
|
Gold 198 |
64.8 hours |
Test kidney activity |
|
Iodine 131 |
8.05 days |
Treat thyroid/ find blood clots |
|
Iron 59 |
45.6 days |
Rate of red blood cell production |
|
Mercury 197 |
65.0 hours |
Find brain tumors/test spleen |
|
Technetium 99 |
6.0 hours |
Detect brain tumors/blood clots |
|
|
Tumor detection & Treatment |
Assess blood related problems
|
|
Radioisotope |
|
|
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