Branch: B. Pharm. 
                                  Semester: I
         Subject: Pharmaceutical Inorganic Chemistry
                          Subject code:BP104T
                                     UNIT-V
           Topic: Radiopharmaceuticals and Contrast Media
                              Dr. LUBNA AZMI
                                 Assistant Professor 
                      Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry
                        Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences
                               University of Lucknow
 Disclaimer: The e-content is exclusively meant for academic purposes and for enhancing teaching and learning. Any other use for
 economic/commercial purpose is strictly prohibited. The users of the content shall not distribute, disseminate or share it with anyone
 else and its use is restricted to advancement of individual knowledge. The information provided in this e-content is developed from
 authentic references, to the best of my knowledge.
                              Introduction
         ❖Radiopharmaceuticals,   as   the   name    suggests,   are
         pharmaceutical  formulations  consisting  of     radioactive
         substances  (radioisotopes  and  molecules   labelled  with
         radioisotopes), which are intended for use either in diagnosis or
         therapy.
         ❖Radiopharmaceuticals are essential components of nuclear
         medicine   practice,  where      radiopharmaceuticals   are
         administered to patients for diagnosing, managing and treating
         numberof diseases.
         ❖Nearly 95% of radiopharmaceuticals are used for diagnostic
         purposes, while the rest is used for therapy.
       Definitions and Terminology
       ❖A nuclide (or nucleide, from nucleus, also known as nuclear
       species) is an atomic species   characterized by the specific
       constitution of its nucleus, i.e., by its number of protons, Z, its
       number ofneutrons,N,anditsnuclear energystate.
       ❖Aradionuclide (radioactive nuclide, radioisotope or radioactive
       isotope) is an atom that has excess nuclear energy, making it
       unstable.
       ❖This excess energy can be used in one of three ways: emitted
       from the nucleus as gamma radiation; transferred to one of its
       electrons to release it as a conversion electron; or used to create
       andemitanewparticle(alphaparticleorbetaparticle) from the
       nucleus.
       Nuclides vs isotopes
       ❖Anuclide is a species of an atom with a specific number of protons
       and neutrons in the nucleus, for example carbon-13 with 6 protons
       and 7 neutrons.
       ❖The nuclide concept (referring to individual   nuclear species)
       emphasizes nuclear properties over chemical properties, while the
       isotope concept (grouping all atoms of each element) emphasizes
       chemical over nuclear.
       ❖Theneutron number has large effects on nuclear properties, but its
       effect on chemical reactions is negligible for most elements.