ISOTOPIC TRACER

Domain	Definition
Nuclear Energy & Physics	An isotope of an element, a small amount of which may be incorporated into a sample of material in order to follow the course of that element through a chemical, biological, or physical process, and thus also follow the larger sample. The tracer may be radioactive, in which case observations are made by measuring the radioactivity. . . Tracers also are called labels or tags, and materials are said to be labeled or tagged when radioactive tracers are incorporated in them. Source: European Union. (references)
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Specialty Definition: Isotopic tracer

An isotopic tracer, (also "isotopic marker" or "isotopic label"), is used in chemistry and biochemistry to help understand chemical reactions and interactions. In this technique, one or more of the atoms of the molecule of interest is substituted for an atom of the same element, but of a different (often radioactive) isotope. Because the atom has the same number of protons, it will behave in almost exactly the same way chemically as other atoms in the compound, and with few exceptions will not interfere with the reaction under investigation. The difference in the number of neutrons, however, means that it can be detected separately from the other atoms of the same element.

NMR typically uses this type of technique to investigate the mechanisms of chemical reactions (basically trying to find out which starting atom ends up where after a reaction), because NMR detects not only isotopic differences, but also gives an indication of the position of the atom.

Mass spectrometry can also be used with this technique, since mass spectra recorded with sufficiently high resolution can distinguish among isotopes based on the different masses resulting from the different number of neutrons.

Autoradiograms of gels in gel electrophoresis can also take advantage of this approach. In this technique, radioactive isotopes are used. The radiation emitted by compounds containing the radioactive isotopes darkens a piece of photographic film, recording the position of these compounds relative to one another in the gel.

Modern Translation: ISOTOPIC TRACER

Language		Translations for "ISOTOPIC TRACER"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses.
Danish		sporisotop (tracer isotope). (various references)

Dutch		isotope merkstof (tracer isotope), isotope klikstof (tracer isotope), speurisotoop (tracer isotope). (various references)

French		isotope traceur (tracer isotope), indicateur isotopique (tracer isotope), traceur isotopique (tracer isotope). (various references)

German		Isotopentracer (tracer isotope), Isotopenindikator (tracer), Indikatorisotop (tracer isotope), Leitisotop (tracer isotope). (various references)

Greek		ισοτοπικός ιχνηθέτης (tracer isotope). (various references)

Italian		indicatore isotopico (tracer isotope). (various references)

Pig Latin		isotopicay acertray
Source: compiled by the editor from various translation references.

Anagrams: ISOTOPIC TRACER

Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams
	Words within the letters "a-c-c-e-i-i-o-o-p-r-r-s-t-t"
	-3 letters: corporatist, criticaster, tetrasporic, triceratops.
	-4 letters: accipiters, atrocities, carrotiest, carrottops, cocreators, practicers, protectors, scriptoria.
	-5 letters: acceptors, accipiter, arteritis, carrottop, catoptric, cocreator, copasetic, corotates, corporate, crocoites, epistatic, eroticist, irritates, isotactic, isotropic, opacities, operatics, operators, oratories, oratrices, parotitis, pasticcio, patooties, patriotic, patristic, porticoes, portraits, posterior, practicer, practices, priorates, prosector, prostatic, prostrate, protector, protestor, protostar, protracts, psoriatic.
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. SCRABBLE® is a registered trademark. All intellectual property rights in and to the game are owned in the U.S.A and Canada by Hasbro Inc., and throughout the rest of the world by J.W. Spear & Sons Limited of Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, a subsidiary of Mattel Inc. Mattel and Spear are not affiliated with Hasbro.

ISOTOPIC TRACER

Specialty Definition: ISOTOPIC TRACER

Nuclear Energy & Physics

Specialty Definition: Isotopic tracer

Modern Translation: ISOTOPIC TRACER

Danish

Dutch

French

German

Greek

Italian

Pig Latin

Anagrams: ISOTOPIC TRACER

Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams

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