CONTENTS
Carbon 11 2
What is Carbon 11? 2
Where is carbon 11 used? 2
Application of 11C tracer 3
Pros and cons of the short Half-life 3
Pros 3
Cons 3
Benefits and risks of the carbon 11 radiotracer 4
Benefits 4
Risks 4
Risks associated with Carbon 11 tracer 4
Rewards associated with Carbon 11 Tracer 5
Comparison 5
Journal critique 5
Authority 5
Accuracy 6
Objectivity 6
Bibliography 7
Appendice 1 8
CARBON 11
WHAT IS CARBON 11?
11C or more commonly known as Carbon 11 is a radioisotope of Carbon (tracer) which gives off gamma rays. This radioisotope decays to Boron 11 due to beta plus decay or positron emission. Conversely this change can be a result of electron capture but the chance of this happening is minuscule
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It’s primarily use is as a radioisotope for radioactive labelling of molecules in positron emission tomography (PET); in the early diagnosis of cancer, monitoring therapeutic response to cancer treatment, and pharmacokinetic (reaction body has to the drug) investigations of anticancer drugs. PET imaging allows a non-invasive means to monitor metabolic processes and molecular targets, in this case it is the chemically induced tumors; while the carbon 11 radiotracer allows for a hot/cold substitution of active molecules biologically [2]. This allows for detailed images such as this not so grey matter …show more content…
Then the chemical substance is injected into the patient. The monoamine transporter protein transports the tracer over the entirety of the body, mainly the highly blood dependent organs. The result is a targeted accumulation of said tracer giving off gamma radiation. [4]
PROS AND CONS OF THE SHORT HALF-LIFE The extremely short half-life of carbon-11 (20.39 minutes) has both pros and cons. These can be seen in the table below:
PROS
CONS
The short half-life means it takes all of 20.39 minutes before the Carbon 11 tracer decays into boron 11. 11b is a chemically stable radioisotope of boron. Patient is only radioactive for a short amount of time.
The synthesis/amalgam of radiotracers. This includes the synthesizing the required compounds, achieving both purity of the radiochemical, high activity in a short amount of time and on a small scale. Complex process in correlation with its short half-life requires the Radioisotope to be made onsite.
When the released neutrons attach to other isotopes of Uranium 235, this can result in a chain reaction of fission. For every generation of fission, the amount of fission is doubled, and this results in an extreme outburst of energy. The amount of energy released by this process is related to Einstein’s famous equation “E=mc2” (Wolf). Einstein's equation "E=mc2" has two sides, which are constructive and destructive. The constructive side is when energy is converted into mass, and the destructive side is when a small amount of mass is converted into energy.
Also, the equations for Potential energy and Kinetic energy are stated to get the Total Energy. They are respectively:
The description of PET scans in detail requires the understanding of the radioactive substance injected into the subject. First, a small amount of a biochemical substance is tagged with a positron-emitting radioisotope. A positron is an “anti-electron.” Positrons are given off during the decay of the nuclei of the radioisotope. When the positron emitted collides with an electron in the tissue of the subject, both the positron and the electron are annihilated. When this happens, the collision produces two gamma rays having the same energy (511 KeV), but going in opposite directions.
type of energy is lost or gained, and whether or not a factor that is
“External radiation uses a machine that directs high-energy rays from outside the body into the tumor and some normal nearby tissue.” (American Cancer Society p. 5) After this treatment the patient will not be radioactive, but treatment is delivered in small doses and can last several weeks. “Internal radiation or brachytherapy, uses a radioactive source, called an implant, that’s put inside the body in or near the tumor.” (American Cancer Society p. 9) It may be placed in an organ or in the cancerous tumor. The patient will be radioactive for a short time. Due to the implant being near the source of cancer a larger dose can be delivered to the patient. “Systemic radiation uses radioactive drugs to treat certain type of cancer.” (American Cancer Society p. 12) The drugs used are called radiopharmaceuticals and can be delivered orally or intravenously. “They collect where the cancer is to give off their radiation and kill the cancer cells.” (American Cancer Society p. 12) After this treatment the patient will be radioactive, and will take a few days to be removed from the patients
= 3 ´ E(C-H) + 1 ´ E(C-O) + 1 ´ E(O-H) + 1.5 ´ E(O=O)
energy was given out or taken in. We can show this on a graph. Alcohol
When taking a radiograph there are some precautions that can be taken to reduce some of the radiation that can be exposed to a patient, what would be used on all patients is call a lead apron and thyroid collar, these aprons are used to protect the patients that may be a bit more radiosensitive and also may give the patient a little of reassurance that they will be protected. “Radiosensitivity is the relative susceptibility of cells, tissues, organs, organisms, or other substances to the injurious action of radiation.”
Radiation therapists work closely with patients to fight cancer. According to Health Care Careers, Oncologists, Dosimetrists and nurses are some of the professionals that a radiation therapist works with while caring for a cancer patient. This group of professionals will determine a specialized treatment plan. The first step usually includes a CT scan performed by a radiologist to find the exact area that needs to be targeted with x-rays. Next, the therapist uses a special machine that emits radiation called a Linear Accelerator. They use this machine during a treatment called external beam therapy. During this process, the Linear Accelerator will project x-rays at targeted cancer cells or tumors. Another therapist will be in a different room monitoring the patient’s viral signs until the procedure is over. The external therapy l...
The most common type of radiation therapy that is used involves exposure of patients to external radiations. In this method, a beam containing high-energy X-rays is directed to a specific region of the body to irradiate the main tumors. However, the problem with this technique is that the ability to hit normal tissues of adjacent organs (Noda et al., 2009). Different from this, targeted radionuclide therapy functions like chemotherapy. A radionuclide labeled molecule is administered either orally or intravenously such that it delivers radiations that are sufficiently toxic to the site of the disease to kill the target cells (Bolus & Brady, 2011). However, the main difference with chemotherapy is that the drugs or toxins only...
Gamma radiation/emission – Gamma ray emission can be found when either alpha or beta decay occurs. Gamma rays are high energy electromagnetic rays. Gamma radiation is just the excess energy of the reaction being shed off, gamma rays do not effect mass numbers or atomic numbers. 6027Co 6028Ni + 0-1e + y
Kinetic Energy: 1/2mv2=eV, where m is the mass of an electron, v is the electron speed, e is the elementary charge of an electron, and V was the voltage used in the experimental calculation.
energy out of a nuclear reaction than we put in. First, the energy per fission
Carbon Carbon is one of the basic elements of matter (Bush 1230-1231). The name carbon comes from the Latin word "carbo" meaning charcoal. Carbon is the sixth most abundant element (Gangson). More than 1,000,000 compounds are made from carbon (Carbon (C)). "The Element Carbon is defined as a naturally abundant non-metallic element that occurs in many inorganic and in all organic compounds, exists freely as graphite and diamond and as a constituent of coal, limestone, and petroleum, and is capable of chemical self-bonding to form an enormous number of chemically, biologically, and commercially important molecules.