specific action concept

synonym: specific activity concept
https://doi.org/10.1351/goldbook.15054
Assumption made in radiotracer usage concerning specificity of action of a radionuclide used to trace or quantify the movement of a stable nuclide (e.g., \(\ce{^{14}C}\) for stable \(\ce{C}\)), implying that the radionuclide behaves identically in chemical and biological processes to its nonradioactive analog (e.g., stable \(\ce{C}\)).
Note: Sometimes confusingly called the "specific activity concept".
Source:
PAC, 2009, 81, 829. (Glossary of terms used in ecotoxicology (IUPAC Recommendations 2009)) on page 949 [Terms] [Paper]
Citation: 'specific action concept' in IUPAC Compendium of Chemical Terminology, 5th ed. International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry; 2025. Online version 5.0.0, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1351/goldbook.15054 RIS BibTex EndNote
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