This document discusses the radioactive isotope fluorine-18. It begins by explaining that fluorine-18 is a positron-emitting radioisotope used in positron emission tomography (PET) scans to produce diagnostic images. It has a half-life of only 110 minutes, requiring scans to be performed near sites that produce the isotope. Fluorine-18 is attached to fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG), a glucose analog, to produce FDG which is taken up by glucose-metabolizing tissues like the brain and tumors. After being injected into patients, FDG accumulates in areas of high glucose uptake and undergoes radioactive decay that is detected by a PET scanner to produce 3D images. While very