Radiotracer Techniques:

Application of radioactivity is best described through the use of radiotracers in several disciplines such as chemistry, biology, physics, agriculture, medicine, industry, etc. Looking to the tremendous scope of radiotracers, it is significant to understand basic principle involved in radiotracer methodology. George de von Hevesy, a Hungarian chemist and co discoverer of neutron activation analysis, is credited with being first to use radiotracers for determining solubility product of lead substances within water. Hevesy was awarded in the year of 1943 Nobel Prize in chemistry for his pioneering work. He was also the first person to use radiotracers to follow biological processes, tracing the movement of radionuclides from soil within plants and movement of food by animal systems. Production of radionuclides in nuclear reactors gave a great impetus to tracer concept. This concept has made further crossroads along with the development of multitracers in 1990s.

A radiotracer is defined as chemical specie having one or more radionuclides as cation, anion or one of its components so that it may be used as a marker to follow the course of a chemical reaction or physical process or to show the location of a substance within a field. An activity of radionuclide is monitored to follow the procedure under investigation. Primary principle, on the basis of that a radiotracer works, is that it mixes well with its own element or compound and behaves chemically in a similar manner except for its radiation emitting property. Radiotracers can be used qualitatively for identification just, as easy markers or to quantitatively determine an amount of an element in a mixture.