Fission products
Q. Which of the following are generated in nuclear reactors and not available naturally as radioisotopes?
1) Caesium - 137
2) Iodine - 131
3) Radon - 222- Published on 25 Jul 16a. 1, 3
b. 1, 2
c. 2, 3
d. All of the above
ANSWER: 1, 2
- Many artificial radionuclides of technological importance are produced as fission products within nuclear reactors. E.g. Caesium – 137, barium - 137m, Iodine – 131, etc.
- Some radionuclides, for example cobalt-60 and iridium-192, are made by the neutron irradiation of normal non-radioactive cobalt and iridium metal in a nuclear reactor, creating radioactive nuclides of these elements which contain extra neutrons, compared to the original stable nuclides. Sodium-24 is another such example.
- Many years ago radium-226 and radon-222 sources were used as gamma-ray sources for industrial radiography.
- Because both radium and radon are very radiotoxic and very expensive due to their natural rarity, these natural radioisotopes have fallen out of use over the last half-century, replaced by artificially created radioisotopes.
