Iridium isotopes (Ir)
Iridium isotopes are used in medical and industrial applications. Stable iridium isotopes can be enriched or depleted by Urenco Stable Isotopes to any concentration, and supplied in various chemical forms.
Naturally occurring iridium has two stable isotopes.
| Isotope | Maximum available enrichment (atomic %) | Natural abundance (atomic %) |
|---|---|---|
| 191Ir | >99 | 37.30 |
| 193Ir | >99 | 62.70 |
Application of Iridium isotopes
Iridium 191 (Ir 191)
Ir-191 is used instead of natural Iridium to optimize the production of the radioactive Iridium-192. Ir-192 is used in industrial applications for the Non Destructive Testing (NDT) of constructions. The Ir-192 is used as a source of gamma radiation to detect irregularities in the material. Ir-192 has also many medical applications such as ‘afterloading’ (brachytherapy) for the treatment of prostate, lung, breast and gynaecological cancers.
Iridium 193 (Ir 193)
The use of Ir-193 has been proposed for the production of the therapeutic radioisotope Platinum-195m.
