Radiotracer

A radioactive isotope introduced into a system so its movement or distribution can be detected through emitted radiation. Its signal reveals where labeled atoms travel or accumulate.

Radioactive decay: The spontaneous transformation of an unstable atomic nucleus, accompanied by emitted particles or energy. Its emissions provide the signal used to locate radioactive atoms.
Positron emission tomography: A medical imaging method that detects pairs of photons produced after positron-emitting tracers decay. It uses radiotracers to map physiological activity inside the body.
Isotope: One of two or more atoms of the same element with different numbers of neutrons. A radiotracer's labeled atoms differ isotopically from other atoms of the same element.
George de Hevesy: A Hungarian radiochemist who pioneered the use of radioactive isotopes as tracers. His experiments established radioactive isotopes as tools for tracing atoms in biological systems.
Radioisotope: An isotope with an unstable nucleus that undergoes radioactive decay. Radiotracers use radioisotopes as detectable labels.
Technetium-99m: A metastable nuclear isomer widely used in diagnostic medical imaging. It is a common radionuclide in radiopharmaceutical tracers.
Half-life: The time required for half the radioactive nuclei in a sample to decay. It determines how long a radiotracer remains detectable.
Radiochemistry: The chemistry of radioactive substances and the chemical effects of nuclear transformations. Radiotracer methods became a central tool in radiochemistry.
Isotopic labeling: A technique that replaces atoms in a substance with distinguishable isotopes to track their behavior. Radiotracing is isotopic labeling that uses radioactive isotopes.
Carbon-14 dating: A method for estimating the age of once-living materials from their remaining carbon-14. Carbon-14 acts as a tracer of biological carbon and its decay dates organic remains.

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