Iodine 131

Name:
Iodine 131
Detailed information:
(¹³¹I). Radioactive iodine of mass number 131.

Properties:

Half-life 8 days. Radiation: β and γ.

Derivation:

By pile irradiation of tellurium and from the fission products of nuclear reactor fuels.

Available Forms:

As elemental iodine and in a weakly basic solution of sodium iodide in sodium sulfite; iodine 131 is also available in tagged compounds such as dithymol diiodide, potassium iodate, diiodofluorescein, insulin, ACTH, etc.

Grade:

USP lists iodinated 131I serum albumin, rose bengal sodium 131I injection, sodium iodide 131I capsules and solution, sodium iodohippurate 131I injection.

Use:

Diagnosis and treatment of goiter, hyperthyroidism, and other thyroid disorders; internal radiation therapy; in film gauges to measure film thicknesses of the order of one micron; for detecting leaks in water lines; as a source of radiation in oil field tests; as a tracer in chemical analysis; as a tracer in studying diet iodine for cattle, the functions of the thyroid gland, the efficiency of mixing pulp fibers, the thermal stability of potassium iodate in bread dough, chemical reaction mechanisms, etc.