A half-life of sodium-24 is _ which is used to estimate the volume of blood in a patient.
Correct answer: B. 15 hours
- A. 6 hours
- B. 15 hours
- C. 8 hours
- D. 15 days
Explanation
Sodium-24 is a radioactive isotope of sodium with a half-life of approximately 15 hours. This means that if a sample of sodium-24 contains 1000 atoms, after 15 hours, only 500 atoms will remain.The radioactive decay of sodium-24 can be used to estimate the volume of blood in a patient. This involves injecting a small amount of sodium chromate, which contains sodium-24, into the patient's bloodstream. As the sodium-24 decays, it is eliminated from the body through the urine. By measuring the rate at which sodium-24 is excreted in the urine, the volume of blood in the patient's body can be estimated.
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