Isotope Stability: Why Rhodium is Important in Brachytherapy

[mandy9008]

Homework Statement

Why is it important in brachytherapy to realize that rhodium is not a stable isotope? If rhodium were not a stable isotope, what considerations must one make?

I know that a stable isotope can go from one element to another, but I don't see how that would have anything to do with this problem.

 

[collinsmark]

Homework Statement

Why is it important in brachytherapy to realize that rhodium is not a stable isotope? If rhodium were not a stable isotope, what considerations must one make?

I know that a stable isotope can go from one element to another, but I don't see how that would have anything to do with this problem.

I think you mean an unstable isotope can likely change into another element via radioactive decay.

Anyway, When ruthenium ¹⁰⁶Ru decays into rhodium ¹⁰⁶Rh via beta decay, a certain amount of energy is released. You might consider this energy as being part of a radiation "dose."

But what happens to the leftover ¹⁰⁶Rh? What's the half-life of ¹⁰⁶Rh? Does anything happen to the ¹⁰⁶Rh that might contribute to the total radiation dose?