Tracing Cocaine And Heroin With Carbon Isotopes
Thursday, January 5, 2012 - 06:10
in Physics & Chemistry
Isotopes were discovered 100 years ago. Without knowledge of them, we would have no nuclear accidents, weapons, or waste, but we would also be without a medical probe, a weapon against cancer and a way of generating electricity. We would have no clue about the age of the earth or about the intricacies of photosynthesis and respiration. There would be no isotope signatures that reveal diets of the past and sources of illegal drugs.Combine the two Greek words for equal and place, isos and topos, respectively, and you get the word isotope, so-chosen because isotopes of a given element have an equal number of protons and therefore occupy the same place in the periodic table. read more