﻿﻿ Transmutation and Radioactivity in Nuclear Medicine -
ChemPRIME  Transmutation and Radioactivity in Nuclear Medicine
From ChemPRIME  Jump to: navigation, search  The three types of
radiation that we have discussed, α (alpha particles), β (beta
particles), and γ (gamma) rays are used extensively in nuclear
medicine. Alpha particles are the largest and most highly
charged of the three, with the structure 42He2+, so they can do
the most damage and are used in radiation therapy to destroy
cancer cells. Because they do not travel far through matter,
their energy is deposited very close to their location, and
damage to healthy cells is controlled.  Alpha particles do not
make good tracers, because the idea of a tracer is to help
visualize where an atom or molecule goes in the body without
causing damage. Gamma rays are the most penetrating radiation,
and while this makes them sound dangerous, the fact that they
penetrate tissue means that they are not absorbed much by
matter, which in turn means that they don't