Radioactive Isotopes’ Value in Biological Studies
To biologists, then, the essential feature in the use of radioactive isotopes is the possibility of preparing “labeled” samples of any organic molecule involved in biological processes. With labeled samples it is possible to distinguish the behavior and keep track of the course of molecules involved in a particular biological function.
In this capacity the isotope may be likened to a dynamic and revolutionary type of “atomic microscope”, which can actually be incorporated into a living process or a specific cell. Just as a real microscope permits examination of the structural details of cells, isotopes permit examination of the chemical activities of molecules, atoms, and ions as they react within cells. (Neither optical nor electron microscopes are powerful enough for us to see anything as small as a molecule clearly.)