Question

which radioisotope is used as a tracer in nuclear scanning? technetium - 99 m iodine - 129 uranium - 238 carbon - 14

Explanation:

Technetium - 99m is a metastable isomer of technetium - 99. It has several properties that make it ideal for use as a tracer in nuclear scanning. It emits gamma rays which can be detected by imaging equipment. It has a relatively short half - life (about 6 hours), which means it decays relatively quickly in the body, reducing the radiation exposure to the patient over time.

Iodine - 129 has a very long half - life (about \(1.57\times10^{7}\) years) and is not used for medical imaging as a tracer due to its long - term radiation hazard. Uranium - 238 is a radioactive element that is not used in medical nuclear scanning as a tracer. It is more associated with nuclear fuel and has no beneficial medical imaging properties. Carbon - 14 has a half - life of about 5730 years and is mainly used in radiocarbon dating, not in medical nuclear scanning.

Answer:

technetium - 99m