Safety and legality of carbon-11

[Vardaan Bhat]

This is a pretty self-explanatory question; I was wondering how safe carbon-11 is for human beings; is it extremely radioactive and harmful, or safe for the average Joe to handle with the right casing/equipment. Furthermore, is owning this isotope illegal/highly regulated, or can people easily purchase or distribute it? Thanks!

 

[Vanadium 50]

Given that it has a half life of 20 minutes, it's not like you can order it out of a catalog.

 

[berkeman]

Given that it has a half life of 20 minutes, it's not like you can order it out of a catalog.

I've got three words for you, "Amazon Prime" and "Drone"

This is a pretty self-explanatory question; I was wondering how safe carbon-11 is for human beings; is it extremely radioactive and harmful, or safe for the average Joe to handle with the right casing/equipment. Furthermore, is owning this isotope illegal/highly regulated, or can people easily purchase or distribute it? Thanks!

So, what are you want to do with it?

 

[Drakkith]

Furthermore, is owning this isotope illegal/highly regulated, or can people easily purchase or distribute it?

Within 1 hour, whatever carbon-11 you have will have gone through 3 half-lives, leaving 1/8th of the original amount. After 2 hours you'll have 1/64th left. I doubt there are any vendors beyond some very specialized ones with access to a particle collider.

 

[berkeman]

Within 1 hour, whatever carbon-11 you have will have gone through 3 half-lives, leaving 1/8th of the original amount. After 2 hours you'll have 1/64th left. I doubt there are any vendors beyond some very specialized ones with access to a particle collider.

I have 3 words for you, "Amazon Prime" and "Collider"...

 

[Drakkith]

Sorry, I don't know what you're getting at, Berk.

 

[berkeman]

Just some humor...

 

[berkeman]

V50 put me up to it. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.

Besides, we all want to know that the heck the OP wants this material for...

 

[vanhees71]

I'd also be interested in the prize ;-).

 

[mfb]

It is produced in accelerators as isotope for PET scans, but with its short half-life you have to produce and use it directly on site. The amount produced is tiny, you cannot sell it in any market-like environment, and everyone involved in the chain of handling it has proper training. The patient has not, of course, but they don't get dangerous doses.

I'm also curious how that question came up.