Technetium

The element Technetium 99m Generator is also non-technically referred to as Moly Cow is a specific device that is used to extract the certain metastable isotope which is 99 Tc and this is actually extracted from as source of Molybdenum-99 which is in the process of decay. So the decay product of this Molybdeum-99 is the Technetium 99 and the generator is the middle man that provides laboratories with the element.

The usages of this element is quite varied, it can be used for nuclear and medicinal purposes and in lots of research laboratories as well. It is the short life of the technetium 99 that causes it to be instantly extracted from the generator that uses the Molybdenum to produce the technetium99.

The Technetium 99m itself is a metastable isomer and this state of the element means that it cannot transform into any other substance on its own decay. The main purpose of using the element is for nuclear medical purposes as the isotope emits gamma rays.

So for radioactive research and especially in the nuclear medical field, Technetium 99m is extremely useful, for example for being used in some sort of a medical equipment or a tracer which can detect things in the body through radioactive gamma rays. The wavelengths of the gamma rays that are emitted are almost the same length as the X-Rays that are used for normal procedures so the role of the Technetium 99m being used for such purposes is quite well suited.

The life of this isotope that itself is an extracted material is actually quite short and is thus a short half life. However this, short longevity of the element is actually very useful for its medical purposes as collection of data quickly is useful while the amount of radiation that a patient would have to undergo through the procedure is very low in intensity. Its half life lasts for about six hours in total and it dissolves very easily in aqua regia and nitric acid.

SPECT is another nuclear medical procedure where the low gamma rays emitted by Technetium 99 are again used. The full form of the name of this procedure is Single Photon emission computed tomography. This is also a technique that uses imaging procedures for detection with the help of gamma rays. In the procedure, the radioisotope is used on the patient in concern and the gamma rays that are emitted by the technetium 99 that is in the radioisotope is captured on a special gamma camera and thus the image appears easily. The total scanning time for the brain etc. of a patient can take around twenty minutes which is enough time within the half life span of the technetium 99.

However, you should also know that the Technetium 99 is an element that is being used extensively in procedures of nuclear medicine where diagnosis is concerned but it cannot be used for any therapeutic purposes.