Sodium-24 chloride

Sodium-24 chloride is a radioactive isotope of sodium chloride, characterized by its atomic mass of 24. It has a half-life of approximately 15 hours and decays by emitting beta particles and gamma rays, transforming into stable Magnesium-24. This radioisotope is artificially produced by irradiating stable sodium-23 with neutrons in a nuclear reactor. In medical applications, Sodium-24 chloride is primarily used as a diagnostic tool. It can be employed to measure extracellular fluid (ECF) volume in the body through indicator dilution techniques, leveraging its chemical behavior similar to common sodium chloride, which allows it to distribute within the body's fluid compartments. Additionally, its radioactivity makes it useful for assessing absorbed radiation doses, for instance, by measuring its activity in biological samples like hair and blood following neutron exposure.

Other names

Sodium chloride Na-24