Iodine isotopes

Iodine Isotopes and its Applications.
“Isotopes are tools used by researchers worldwide in the diagnosis of disease, to understand metabolic pathways in humans, and to answer fundamental questions in nature.” Isotopes throughout the years have been used and applied in many different ways; this Essay includes the basic information of the Element Iodine and the applications in medicine ofIodine Isotopes.
The discovery of iodine, like most discoveries, was a fortuitous accident. Bernard Courtois is the “father” of Iodine. In 1811 the year of the discovery, he was not searching for a way to heal his fellow humans. On the contrary; he was looking for a way to kill his fellow humans. It was the time when Napoleon’s army required huge quantities of gunpowder and supplies were runningshort. Later a man called Jean Lugol found out that when Iodine bonded with a mineral (potassium) it turned into water soluble. That led to the later discovery of iodine’s antiseptic qualities. Iodine naturally dissolves in alcohol, but not in water until it is first bonded to the elements potassium or chlorine. Iodine made its leap into medical history when a Swiss physician, Dr Jean FrançoisCondet announced that iodine could reduce goiters.
“Iodine is a chemical element in the periodic table that has the symbol I and atomic number 53. This is an insoluble element that is required as a trace element for living organisms. Chemically, iodine is the least reactive of the halogens, and the most electropositive metallic halogen, it is a violet-dark grey, lustrous element. it is a solidelement and has an irritating odor.
Iodine dissolves very easily in chloroform, carbon tetrachloride, or carbon disulphide; it doesn’t dissolve much in water. Its applications are:
• Thyroid hormones like thyroxine and triiodotyronine contain atoms of Iodine.
•Iodine is also used for tinctures. Iodine is essential in any survival kit, it can be used to disinfect wounds or sanitize surfacewater for drinking.
•In the field of organic chemistry Iodine compounds are important, they are also vital in medicine.
•Potassium iodide is used in photography.
Iodine contains thirty isotopes, but there is only one that is stable, I-127. There is an artificial radioisotope which is very important, it is I-131. It has been used in treatments for cancer and other pathologies of the thyroidglands. The most common compounds of iodine are the iodides of sodium and potassium (KI) and the iodates (KIO3). Although Iodine has only one stable isotope, radioactive isotopes of Iodine are used in a wide variety of activities.
Focusing on medical uses with Iodine it has been used for everything from sore throats and colds, fibrocystic breasts, hair loss, fungal infections, ovarian cysts,prostrate problems, thyroid conditions, weight loss, heart issues, cancer, skin tags, acne, nuclear protection, disinfecting cuts, water purification, food poisoning, PMS, burns, and teeth and gum issues.
Iodine-131 (131I), also called radioiodine, is an important radioisotope of iodine. It has a radioactive decay half-life of about eight days. Its uses are mostly medical and pharmaceutical.Iodine-131 is recognized for causing mutation and death in cells in which it penetrates. For this reason, high doses of the isotope are sometimes paradoxically less dangerous than low doses, since they tend to kill thyroid tissues which would otherwise become cancerous as a result of the radiation. For example, there was done a test, children that where treated with a moderate dosis of I-131 forthyroid adenomas, had a detectable increase in thyroid cancer, while children that where given a higher dosis did not.

Iodine-123 (123I or I-123) is a radioactive isotope of iodine used in nuclear medicine imaging, including single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT). The isotope's half-life is 13.22 hours. I-123 is chosen to be the most suitable and preferred isotope of iodine for the...