Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Nuclear Transmutation03:20

Nuclear Transmutation

Nuclear transmutation is the conversion of one nuclide into another. It can occur by the radioactive decay of a nucleus, or the reaction of a nucleus with another particle. The first manmade nucleus was produced in Ernest Rutherford’s laboratory in 1919 by a transmutation reaction, the bombardment of one type of nuclei with other nuclei or with neutrons. Rutherford bombarded nitrogen-14 atoms with high-speed α particles from a natural radioactive isotope of radium and observed protons being...
Biological Effects of Radiation02:59

Biological Effects of Radiation

All radioactive nuclides emit high-energy particles or electromagnetic waves. When this radiation encounters living cells, it can cause heating, break chemical bonds, or ionize molecules. The most serious biological damage results when these radioactive emissions fragment or ionize molecules. For example, α and β particles emitted from nuclear decay reactions possess much higher energies than ordinary chemical bond energies. When these particles strike and penetrate matter, they produce ions...
Types of Radioactivity03:23

Types of Radioactivity

The most common types of radioactivity are α decay, β decay, γ decay, neutron emission, and electron capture.
Alpha (α) decay is the emission of an α particle from the nucleus. For example, polonium-210 undergoes α decay:
Nuclear Overhauser Enhancement (NOE)01:06

Nuclear Overhauser Enhancement (NOE)

Irradiation of a spin-active nucleus causes an increase or decrease in the signal intensity of neighboring nuclei that are not necessarily chemically bonded or involved in J-coupling. This phenomenon, called the nuclear Overhauser enhancement (NOE), results from through-space interactions between the nuclear spins. The NOE effect decreases with increasing internuclear distance and is generally not observed beyond 4 angstroms. In NOE, dipole-dipole interactions between neighboring spin-active...
Nuclear Stability03:18

Nuclear Stability

Protons and neutrons, collectively called nucleons, are packed together tightly in a nucleus. With a radius of about 10−15 meters, a nucleus is quite small compared to the radius of the entire atom, which is about 10−10 meters. Nuclei are extremely dense compared to bulk matter, averaging 1.8 × 1014 grams per cubic centimeter. If the earth’s density were equal to the average nuclear density, the earth’s radius would be only about 200 meters.
To hold positively charged protons together in the...
Isotopes and Radioisotopes01:28

Isotopes and Radioisotopes

In the early 1900s, English chemist Frederick Soddy realized that an element could have atoms with different masses that were chemically indistinguishable. These different types are called isotopes — atoms of the same element that differ in mass. Isotopes differ in mass because they have different numbers of neutrons but are chemically identical because they have the same number of protons. Soddy was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1921 for this discovery.
An isotope containing more...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

[Use of nanoparticles as radiosensitizing agents in radiotherapy: State of play].

Cancer radiotherapie : journal de la Societe francaise de radiotherapie oncologique·2019
Same author

Exclusion principle repulsion effects on the covalent bond beyond the Born-Oppenheimer approximation.

Physical chemistry chemical physics : PCCP·2019
Same author

The use of theranostic gadolinium-based nanoprobes to improve radiotherapy efficacy.

The British journal of radiology·2014
Same author

Quantum confinement of the covalent bond beyond the Born-Oppenheimer approximation.

The journal of physical chemistry. B·2013
Same author

[Composition of the Araneae (Arachnida) fauna of the provincial Iberá Reserve, Corrientes, Argentina].

Revista de biologia tropical·2009
Same author

Mammalian cells loaded with platinum-containing molecules are sensitized to fast atomic ions.

International journal of radiation biology·2008

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 17, 2026

Proton Therapy Delivery and Its Clinical Application in Select Solid Tumor Malignancies
08:34

Proton Therapy Delivery and Its Clinical Application in Select Solid Tumor Malignancies

Published on: February 6, 2019

Enhancement of radiation effect by heavy elements.

K Kobayashi1, N Usami, E Porcel

  • 1Photon Factory, KEK, Tsukuba, Japan. katsumi.kobayashi@kek.jp

Mutation Research
|January 16, 2010
PubMed
Summary

Heavy elements enhance radiobiological effects through Auger effects, expanding applications in electron and hadron therapy. Nanoparticles of gold or platinum show promise as effective radiosensitizers.

More Related Videos

Functional Interrogation of Adult Hypothalamic Neurogenesis with Focal Radiological Inhibition
11:45

Functional Interrogation of Adult Hypothalamic Neurogenesis with Focal Radiological Inhibition

Published on: November 14, 2013

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 17, 2026

Proton Therapy Delivery and Its Clinical Application in Select Solid Tumor Malignancies
08:34

Proton Therapy Delivery and Its Clinical Application in Select Solid Tumor Malignancies

Published on: February 6, 2019

Functional Interrogation of Adult Hypothalamic Neurogenesis with Focal Radiological Inhibition
11:45

Functional Interrogation of Adult Hypothalamic Neurogenesis with Focal Radiological Inhibition

Published on: November 14, 2013

Area of Science:

  • Radiochemistry
  • Medical Physics
  • Biophysics

Background:

  • Radiobiological effects can be amplified by incorporating heavy elements.
  • Auger effects, triggered by inner-shell electron transitions, are a key mechanism for this enhancement.
  • These effects can be initiated by photoabsorption or secondary electron interactions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the mechanisms by which heavy elements enhance radiobiological effects.
  • To explore the potential of nanoparticles as radiosensitizers.
  • To discuss the applicability of these phenomena in advanced radiation therapies.

Main Methods:

  • Review of existing literature on heavy element radiosensitization.
  • Analysis of the Auger effect mechanism and its induction pathways.
  • Evaluation of nanoparticle properties for radiosensitizer applications.

Main Results:

  • Auger effects are a primary mechanism for heavy element-induced radiosensitization.
  • The induction of Auger effects via secondary electrons broadens their use in electron and hadron therapy.
  • Gold and platinum nanoparticles possess characteristics suitable for development as radiosensitizers.

Conclusions:

  • Heavy elements can significantly enhance radiobiological effects, primarily through Auger processes.
  • Nanoparticles, particularly those of gold and platinum, represent a promising avenue for developing novel radiosensitizers.
  • The findings support the potential integration of heavy element-based radiosensitizers into modern radiation oncology.