cobalt 60

American  

noun

Chemistry.

1. a radioactive isotope of cobalt having a mass number of 60 and a half-life of 5.2 years, used chiefly in radiotherapy.

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cobalt 60 Cultural  

1. A radioactive isotope produced when neutrons bombard atoms of the element cobalt.

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Cobalt 60 is a common substance used in radiation therapy for cancer.

Etymology

Origin of cobalt 60

First recorded in 1945–50

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

cobalt 60

To run the experiment she had in mind, Wu needed to reduce the temperature of radioactive cobalt 60 nuclei until the particles almost stopped moving.

From Scientific American ● Mar. 16, 2023

In Colorado, for instance, 27 buildings house scary-sounding elements such as cesium 137, cobalt 60, americium 241 and iridium 192.

From Scientific American ● Mar. 11, 2022

In mid-May, Mr. Watson ventured to the well site, where robotic submersibles were sent down to the seafloor with cobalt 60, a radioactive isotope that generates gamma rays.

From New York Times ● Jun. 21, 2010

There it is wrapped in X-ray film, and a speck of fiercely radioactive cobalt 60 is thrust into its cavity.

From Time Magazine Archive

These are not very dangerous amounts; the maximum permissible concentration of cobalt 60 in the human body is listed by the Bureau of Standards as three microcuries.

From Time Magazine Archive