, , is a synthetic radioactive isotope
Isotopes are variants of atoms of a particular chemical element, which have differing numbers of neutrons. Atoms of a particular element by definition must contain the same number of protons but may have a distinct number of neutrons which differs from atom to atom, without changing the designation...
Cobalt is a chemical element with symbol Co and atomic number 27. It is found naturally only in chemically combined form. The free element, produced by reductive smelting, is a hard, lustrous, silver-gray metal....
. Due to its half-life
Half-life, abbreviated t½, is the period of time it takes for the amount of a substance undergoing decay to decrease by half. The name was originally used to describe a characteristic of unstable atoms , but it may apply to any quantity which follows a set-rate decay.The original term, dating to...
of 5.27 years, is not found in nature. It is produced artificially by neutron activation
Neutron activation is the process in which neutron radiation induces radioactivity in materials, and occurs when atomic nuclei capture free neutrons, becoming heavier and entering excited states. The excited nucleus often decays immediately by emitting particles such as neutrons, protons, or alpha...
of . decays by beta decay
In nuclear physics, beta decay is a type of radioactive decay in which a beta particle is emitted from an atom. There are two types of beta decay: beta minus and beta plus. In the case of beta decay that produces an electron emission, it is referred to as beta minus , while in the case of a...
to the stable isotope nickel-60 . The activated nickel nucleus emits two gamma ray
Gamma radiation, also known as gamma rays or hyphenated as gamma-rays and denoted as γ, is electromagnetic radiation of high frequency . Gamma rays are usually naturally produced on Earth by decay of high energy states in atomic nuclei...
s with energies of 1.17 and 1.33 MeV, hence the overall nuclear equation of the reaction is
+ n → → + e−
+ gamma rays.
Corresponding to its half-life the radioactive activity of one gram
The gram is a metric system unit of mass....
of is 44 TBq
The becquerel is the SI-derived unit of radioactivity. One Bq is defined as the activity of a quantity of radioactive material in which one nucleus decays per second. The Bq unit is therefore equivalent to an inverse second, s−1...
(about 1100 curie
The curie is a unit of radioactivity, defined asThis is roughly the activity of 1 gram of the radium isotope 226Ra, a substance studied by the pioneers of radiology, Marie and Pierre Curie, for whom the unit was named. In addition to the curie, activity can be measured using an SI derived unit,...
s). The absorbed dose constant
is related to the decay energy and time. For it is equal to 0.35 mSv/(GBq h). This allows calculation of the equivalent dose
The equivalent absorbed radiation dose, usually shortened to equivalent dose, is a computed average measure of the radiation absorbed by a fixed mass of biological tissue, that attempts to account for the different biological damage potential of different types of ionizing radiation...
, which depends on distance and activity.
Example: a source with an activity of 2.8 GBq, which is equivalent to 60 µg of pure , generates a dose of 1 mSv in one meter distance within one hour. The swallowing of reduces the distance to a few millimeters, and the same dose is achieved within seconds.
Test sources, such as those used for school experiments, have an activity <100 kBq. Devices for nondestructive material testing use sources with activities of 1 TBq and more.
The high γ-energies result in a significant mass difference between and of 0.003 u
The unified atomic mass unit or dalton is a unit that is used for indicating mass on an atomic or molecular scale. It is defined as one twelfth of the rest mass of an unbound neutral atom of carbon-12 in its nuclear and electronic ground state, and has a value of...
. The short lifetime contributes further to the high decay energy. This amounts to nearly 20 watts per gram, nearly 30 times larger than that of .
The diagram shows a (simplified) decay scheme
The Decay scheme of a radioactive substance is a graphical presentation of all the transitions occurring in a decay, and of their relationships.-Decay schemes of radioactive isotopes:...
of and 60m
Co. The main β-decay transitions are shown. The probability for population of the middle energy level of 2.1 MeV by β-decay is 0.0022%, with a maximum energy of 665.26 keV. Energy transfers between the three levels generate six different gamma-ray frequencies. In the diagram the two important ones are marked. Internal conversion
Internal conversion is a radioactive decay process where an excited nucleus interacts with an electron in one of the lower atomic orbitals, causing the electron to be emitted from the atom. Thus, in an internal conversion process, a high-energy electron is emitted from the radioactive atom, but...
energies are well below the main energy levels.
Co is a nuclear isomer
A nuclear isomer is a metastable state of an atomic nucleus caused by the excitation of one or more of its nucleons . "Metastable" refers to the fact that these excited states have half-lives more than 100 to 1000 times the half-lives of the other possible excited nuclear states...
of . After a half-life of 10.467 minutes and emission of 58.59 keV gamma rays it transforms into :
With a low probability 60m
Co also β-decays and populates the two "2+" levels of .
The β-decay energy is low and easily shielded. Two gamma-ray emission lines have energies around 1.3 MeV, and are highly penetrating.
Main uses for :
- As a tracer for cobalt in chemical reactions,
Sterilization is a term referring to any process that eliminates or kills all forms of microbial life, including transmissible agents present on a surface, contained in a fluid, in medication, or in a compound such as biological culture media...
of medical equipment,
- Radiation source for medical radiotherapy,
- Radiation source for industrial radiography
Radiography is the use of X-rays to view a non-uniformly composed material such as the human body. By using the physical properties of the ray an image can be developed which displays areas of different density and composition....
- Radioactive source for leveling devices and thickness gauges,
- As a radioactive source for food irradiation
Food irradiation is the process of exposing food to ionizing radiation to destroy microorganisms, bacteria, viruses, or insects that might be present in the food. Further applications include sprout inhibition, delay of ripening, increase of juice yield, and improvement of re-hydration...
and blood irradiation
A blood bank is a cache or bank of blood or blood components, gathered as a result of blood donation, stored and preserved for later use in blood transfusion. The term "blood bank" typically refers to a division of a hospital laboratory where the storage of blood product occurs and where proper...
- As a radioactive source for laboratory use.
might be an efficient heater for a radioisotope thermoelectric generator
A radioisotope thermoelectric generator is an electrical generator that obtains its power from radioactive decay. In such a device, the heat released by the decay of a suitable radioactive material is converted into electricity by the Seebeck effect using an array of thermocouples.RTGs can be...
. However, in contrast to the commonly-used plutonium-238
, its power is nearly exhausted after 10 years. It is also more difficult to absorb the γ-ray power of than the power of α-particles emitted by .
could be used to "salt" a cobalt bomb
A cobalt bomb is a theoretical type of "salted bomb": a nuclear weapon intended to contaminate an area by radioactive material, with a relatively small blast....
. This a hypothetically-feasible but extremely "dirty" form of nuclear weapon
A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission or a combination of fission and fusion. Both reactions release vast quantities of energy from relatively small amounts of matter. The first fission bomb test released the same amount...
that has never been produced. Hypothetically, a nuclear bomb with a tamper
Tamper can mean:*Tamp, a device used to compact or flatten an aggregate or other powdered or granular material, like ground coffee or gravel*A tool used to pack tobacco into a smoking pipe, as well as to flatten or scoop the ash; usually nail-shaped and sometimes combined into a pipe tool*Ballast...
of would irradiate the cobalt with excess neutrons from the nuclear fission
In nuclear physics and nuclear chemistry, nuclear fission is a nuclear reaction in which the nucleus of an atom splits into smaller parts , often producing free neutrons and photons , and releasing a tremendous amount of energy...
and transmute it into .
The creation of is an important step in nucleosynthesis
Nucleosynthesis is the process of creating new atomic nuclei from pre-existing nucleons . It is thought that the primordial nucleons themselves were formed from the quark–gluon plasma from the Big Bang as it cooled below two trillion degrees...
. Without the step through , no elements with atomic number
In chemistry and physics, the atomic number is the number of protons found in the nucleus of an atom and therefore identical to the charge number of the nucleus. It is conventionally represented by the symbol Z. The atomic number uniquely identifies a chemical element...
s from 27 through 83 could be created in supernova
A supernova is a stellar explosion that is more energetic than a nova. It is pronounced with the plural supernovae or supernovas. Supernovae are extremely luminous and cause a burst of radiation that often briefly outshines an entire galaxy, before fading from view over several weeks or months...
Due to its quite short half-life, there is no natural in existence. Synthetic is created by bombarding a target with a slow neutron source, usually californium-252 moderated
In nuclear engineering, a neutron moderator is a medium that reduces the speed of fast neutrons, thereby turning them into thermal neutrons capable of sustaining a nuclear chain reaction involving uranium-235....
through water to slow the neutrons down, or in a nuclear reactor
A nuclear reactor is a device to initiate and control a sustained nuclear chain reaction. Most commonly they are used for generating electricity and for the propulsion of ships. Usually heat from nuclear fission is passed to a working fluid , which runs through turbines that power either ship's...
such as a CANDU reactor, where the control rod
A control rod is a rod made of chemical elements capable of absorbing many neutrons without fissioning themselves. They are used in nuclear reactors to control the rate of fission of uranium and plutonium...
s usually made of steel are instead made of
- + n →
After entering a living mammal (such as a human being), most of the gets excreted in feces
Feces, faeces, or fæces is a waste product from an animal's digestive tract expelled through the anus or cloaca during defecation.-Etymology:...
. A small amount is absorbed by the liver
The liver is a vital organ present in vertebrates and some other animals. It has a wide range of functions, including detoxification, protein synthesis, and production of biochemicals necessary for digestion...
, the kidney
The kidneys, organs with several functions, serve essential regulatory roles in most animals, including vertebrates and some invertebrates. They are essential in the urinary system and also serve homeostatic functions such as the regulation of electrolytes, maintenance of acid–base balance, and...
s, and the bone
Bones are rigid organs that constitute part of the endoskeleton of vertebrates. They support, and protect the various organs of the body, produce red and white blood cells and store minerals. Bone tissue is a type of dense connective tissue...
s, where the prolonged exposure to gamma radiation can cause cancer. This is ironic because it has been used for the treatment of cancer since 1951.
Cobalt is an element of steel alloys. Uncontrolled disposal of in scrap metal is responsible for the radioactivity found in several iron-based products.
In 2000, a disused radiotherapy head containing a source was stored at an unsecured location in Bangkok
Bangkok is the capital and largest urban area city in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep , meaning "city of angels." The full name of Bangkok is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom...
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
and then accidentally was sold to scrap collectors. Unaware of the dangers, a junkyard employee dismantled the head and extracted the source, which remained unprotected for a period of days at the junkyard. Ten people, including the scrap collectors and workers at the junkyard, were exposed to high levels of radiation and became ill. Three of the junkyard workers subsequently died as a result of their exposure, which was estimated to be over 6 Sv (sievert
The sievert is the International System of Units SI derived unit of dose equivalent radiation. It attempts to quantitatively evaluate the biological effects of ionizing radiation as opposed to just the absorbed dose of radiation energy, which is measured in gray...
) . The source was safely recovered by the Thai authorities.
- Cobalt-60, Environmental Protection Agency.
- National Pollutant Inventory - Cobalt fact sheet
- Cobalt-60, Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
- Cobalt-60, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
- NLM Hazardous Substances Databank – Cobalt, Radioactive
- Beta decay of Cobalt-60, HyperPhysics, Georgia State University.
- Dr. Henry Kelly. Cobalt-60 as a Dirty Bomb, Federation of American Scientists, March 6, 2002.
- Cobalt-60 radiation from scrap-metal yards in New Delhi, India http://video.in.msn.com/watch/video/new-delhi-mayapuri-market-still-in-danger/fdefqyba