transuranic elements and commercial radioisotopes? (1 Viewer)

[AngelBunny`]

"- remember the difference between transuranic elements and commercial radioisotopes BUT their production are by the same two methods"

This question was in the 2003 HSC paper too, but I can't find the answer... Can someone explain to me?

 

[dral]

How many marks was this question worth :\.

Anyways, transuranic elements are elements with an atomic number 93 and up, all elements above Uranium.

Whereas commercial radioisotopes are artificially created isotopes of lower elements such as Iodine-131(medical) or Cobalt-60(commercial) for their respective purposes.

However both are made in nuclear reactors and cyclotrons?. So that's the heart of the question.

 

[tristambrown]

[Transuranic elements are NOT found in nature - they are all man made

isotopes of the other elements however may be found in nature

they are both produced in the same 2 ways by us though

either by using a cyclotron (particle accellerator) to "slam" (bombard) a nucleus of a heavy element (like u238 coz its not fissile - aka wont go bang like little boy over Hiroshima) with smaller nuclei - eg plutonium can be made by bombarding U238 with Hydrogen nucleus and Americium from bombarding Plutonium with small nuclei (like H, He, C etc).

Other way to make them is to stick the "to be isotopified" material in the core of a nuclear reactor & bombard the hell out of it with neutrons. U238 treated this way forms Neptunium(Np) which decays into plutonium (mind you U235 treated that way makes power - lots of power)

 

[dral]

Hmm, what about a commercial radioisotope that's transuranic like Americum-241 :\

 

[tristambrown]

My book says that Am241 is made by bombarding 239/94 Pu with neutrons --->241/94 Plutionium (unstable)---> 241/95Am + 0/-1e

re it being transuranic hence difficulties comparing it to commercial isotopes ... i think the point of that is to point out that things like Co60 and I131 are not transuranic, are used widely throughout industry and can be found in nature compared to transuranic which are solely man made but that the processes used to make both are the same (its just the feedstock that differs).

if yur worried about the blur with Am leave it out & just use something like Plutonium for yur trans & I131 or C14 (C14 dating) for yur "commercial" eg's...

essentially u were dead right with this q - it is either cyclotron or reactor & thats' it

 

[AngelBunny`]

Thanks you so much guys... Don't know what to go without your helps