Fluorine-18
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Fluorine-18 | |
|---|---|
| [[Image:|250px|]] |
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| General | |
| Name, symbol | Fluorine-18, 18F |
| Neutrons | 9 |
| Protons | 9 |
| Nuclide Data | |
| Natural abundance | Radioisotope |
| Half-life | 109.771(20) min |
| Decay products | oxygen-18 |
| Isotope mass | 18.0009380(6) u |
| Spin | 1+ |
| Excess energy | 873.431 ± 0.593 keV |
| Binding energy | 137369.199 ± 0.593 keV |
| Decay mode | Decay energy |
| Electron capture | 1.656 MeV |
Fluorine-18 is a fluorine radioisotope which is an important source of positrons. It has a mass of 18.0009380(6) u and its half-life is 109.771(20) min
Fluorine-18 is an important isotope in the radiopharmaceutical industry, and is primarily synthesized into FDG for use in Positron Emission Tomography (PET Scans). It is subsitituted for Hydrogen and used a tracer in the scan. Its significance is due to both its short half-life and the emission of positrons when decaying. In the radiopharmaceutical industry, it is made using either a cyclotron or linear particle accelerator by bombarding oxygen-18 with hydrogen ions.