Radioisotopes and Analytical Chemistry

Manuel Navarrete, Trinidad Martínez, Alberto Fernández, Miguel Ángel Zúñiga, Michelle Camacho, Mónica Flores

Department of Inorganic and Nuclear Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, National University of Mexico, Mexico City, Mexico.

DOI: 10.4236/wjnst.2013.31002                

Abstract

When Periodic Chart of elements is consulted to find natural radioisotopes, one firstly finds tritium, followed by ¹⁰Be, ¹⁴C, ⁵⁰V and many others. Before Bi, 12 cosmogenic radioisotopes are listed. They are those continuously produced by nuclear reactions among light elements present in earthly atmosphere and radiations coming from the outside space. Eighteen additional primordial radioisotopes are listed. They were created at the same time that the non-radioactive isotopes composing the 92 natural elements in the periodic table. From Bi on, every isotope is radioactive, up to U. Then follow the artificial elements produced by laboratory nuclear reactions from Np to element with atomic number 118. In this way, from 118 known elements, 64 are radioactive, which amount 55% of all those units forming the chemical compounds. Therefore, the complete understanding of radioactivity should be a suitable tool to advance our knowledge of Universe, and consequent applications to get better living conditions. So, this paper deals with radioisotopes as suitable instruments for chemical analysis.

Keywords

Radioisotopes; Radiations; Chemical; Quantitative; Analysis

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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