Rhodium (chemical symbol, Rh) is a precious metal of atomic number 45 and atomic weight 102.90549 1. It belongs to Groups 8-10 and Periods 5 and 6 of the periodic table 1.
Use in medical imaging
Rhodium is important in medical imaging primarily for its use as a target (anode) and/or filter in mammography 2:
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target (anode)
the K-shell characteristic X-rays of rhodium occur at 20.2 and 22.7 keV and therefore produces photons within the desirable energy range for imaging breast tissue 2
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filter
a rhodium filter may be preferred for denser breasts, as rhodium has a higher K-edge (approx 23.2 keV) than molybdenum (another material commonly used for filtration) and thus creates a higher intensity beam 2