Question 19N.3.hl.TZ0.b
| Date | November 2019 | Marks available | [Maximum mark: 2] | Reference code | 19N.3.hl.TZ0.b |
| Level | hl | Paper | 3 | Time zone | TZ0 |
| Command term | Explain | Question number | b | Adapted from | N/A |
Nuclear medicine uses small amounts of radioisotopes to diagnose and treat some diseases.
Explain why technetium-99m is the most common radioisotope used in nuclear medicine.
[2]
Any two of:
half-life is 6 hours/long enough for a scan to occur
OR
half-life short enough not to remain in body ✔
NOTE: Accept “short half-life so patient is not exposed to lots of ionizing radiation”.
decay releases «low energy» gamma rays
OR
gamma rays less likely to be absorbed by cells ✔
can form several «coordination» complexes ✔
NOTE: Accept "can exist in many oxidation states «so can form multiple complexes»" OR "chemically versatile «so can act as a tracer by bonding to several bioactive compounds»”.
«low-energy» radiation/gamma-rays can be detected by common X-ray equipment ✔
