How is sodium 24 used in medicine?

Sodium 24 is used as an electrolyte tracer to follow the path sodium takes in a person’s body to see if their uptake levels are within normal ranges, while sodium 22 is used in nuclear medicine imaging for positron emission tomography. Sodium -24 can also be used in non-medical applications.

What type of radiation does sodium 24 emit?

Figure 7: Decay scheme of a radioactive sodium-24 (24Na) nucleus. With a half-life of 15 hours, it decays by beta decay to an excited magnesium-24 (24Mg) nucleus. Two gamma rays are rapidly emitted and the excitation energy is carried off, whereby the stable ground state of magnesium-24 is reached.

How radioactive decay is used in medicine?

Diagnostic techniques in nuclear medicine use radioactive tracers which emit gamma rays from within the body. These tracers are generally short-lived isotopes linked to chemical compounds which permit specific physiological processes to be scrutinized. They can be given by injection, inhalation, or orally.

What is sodium 24 half-life?

Sodium has two radioactive cosmogenic isotopes (22Na, half-life = 2.605 years; 24Na, half-life = ~ 15 hours) that have been used as tracers in hydrologic studies.

Where are radioactive isotopes used?

The most widely used radioactive pharmaceutical for diagnostic studies in nuclear medicine. Different chemical forms are used for brain, bone, liver, spleen and kidney imaging and also for blood flow studies. Used to locate leaks in industrial pipe lines…and in oil well studies.

What is sodium used for?

Sodium is used as a heat exchanger in some nuclear reactors, and as a reagent in the chemicals industry. But sodium salts have more uses than the metal itself. The most common compound of sodium is sodium chloride (common salt). It is added to food and used to de-ice roads in winter.

What is the adverse effect of sodium-24?

In some people, sodium might increase blood pressure. Sodium is possibly unsafe when taken in doses greater than 2.3 grams daily. Larger doses might cause too much sodium to build up in the body. This might cause serious side effects including high blood pressure and heart disease.

How is radiation used in medical diagnosis?

Since Rontgen’s discovery over 100 years ago, radiation has been used to create visual images of the inside of the body to diagnose medical conditions. Medical professionals use ionizing radiation in specific imaging procedures to help diagnose injuries or illness within the body.

Is sodium 24 natural?

Only trace amounts of sodium-24 are found naturally. Sodium-24 is a radioactive isotope which decays into 24Mg by β- decay. Its half-life is 14.96 hours. Electron configuration of a sodium atom.

What is the adverse effect of sodium 24?

How can we use nuclear medicine in medical treatment?

Nuclear medicine procedures are used in diagnosing and treating certain illnesses. These procedures use radioactive materials called radiopharmaceuticals. Examples of diseases treated with nuclear medicine procedures are hyperthyroidism, thyroid cancer, lymphomas, and bone pain from some types of cancer.

What is the radioactive decay of sodium 24?

radioactive decay of sodium-24 Figure 7: Decay scheme of a radioactive sodium-24 (24 Na) nucleus. With a half-life of 15 hours, it decays by beta decay to an excited magnesium-24 (24 Mg) nucleus. Two gamma rays are rapidly emitted and the excitation energy is carried off, whereby the stable ground state of magnesium-24 is reached.

What are the isotopes of sodium used in medicine?

These are described below: Sodium 22 and sodium 24 are two radioactive isotopes of sodium, which are used in medical applications.

How many radioactive isotopes of sodium are there?

Although six radioactive isotopes of sodium exist, only two have any commercial significance. These are described below: Sodium 22 and sodium 24 are two radioactive isotopes of sodium, which are used in medical applications.

What is the use of sodium 24?

Sodium -24 can also be used in non-medical applications. For instance, it is used for leak testing in industrial pipelines. Due to the limited penetrating power of the sodium radiation, detectors are only able to detect the radioactive sodium at leak points. Sodium 24 is also suited to this application due to its short half-life of just 15 hours.