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Samantha Kern

Dr. Beaver

Fundamentals of Chem 1

November 15 2019

Nuclear Chemistry is the Key to PET Scans

Equation: 189F → 188O + 01e

Nuclear chemistry deals with the radiation emitted from the nucleus during nuclear

decay. Radioactive isotopes are not stable and give off radioactivity. The four main particles that

can be released from the nucleus are alpha particles, beta particles, positrons, and gamma rays. In

this equation a positron is being emitted from the nucleus of a Fluorine-18 atom. A positron is a

positive electron which means that the new element formed has an atomic number one unit lower

than the original. Since a positron has no mass it will not affect the atomic mass of the newly

formed element.

This positron emission of certain isotopes can be applied to medicine by the use of

positron emission tomography (PET) scans. This instrument is used by physicians to determine if

a patient has or is at risk for certain diseases by taking images of the body. Before a patient can

enter the machine they must be injected with a solution that the body commonly uses to produce

energy, like glucose, but it must be a positron-emitting solution because the detectors in the

scanner must be able to distinguish the positrons colliding with electrons. A positron has a very

short life and will quickly turn to gamma rays, so this detection of collisions is crucial. The

recognized gamma rays are then recorded by the scanners and an image is created where the

active glucose is. A PET scan allows the physician to locate the exact areas of metabolic activity.

Areas with more metabolic activity will produce a denser image which could be linked to cancer
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and tumors (uncontrolled growth and therefore higher metabolic rates). Diseases such as epilepsy

and schizophrenia which have abnormal glucose metabolism can also be detected by a PET scan.
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Resources

“Radiation in Biology and Medicine: Positron Emission Tomography.” Chemistry LibreTexts, 2

Oct. 2013,

https://chem.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Physical_and_Theoretical_Chemistry_Textbook

_Maps/Supplemental_Modules_(Physical_and_Theoretical_Chemistry)/Nuclear_Chemist

ry/Applications_of_Nuclear_Chemistry/Radiation_in_Biology_and_Medicine%3A_Posit

ron_Emission_Tomography. Accessed 13 Nov. 2019.