Isotope

Isotopes are variants of a particular chemical element. While all isotopes of a given
element share the same number of protons, each isotope differs from the others in its
number of neutrons.
The number of protons within the atom's nucleus uniquely identifies an element, but a
given element may in principle have any number of neutrons. The number of
nucleons (protons and neutrons) in the nucleus is the mass number, and each isotope of
a given element has a different mass number. For example, carbon-12, carbon-
13 and carbon-14 are three isotopes of the element carbon with mass numbers 12, 13
and 14 respectively. The atomic number of carbon is 6 which mean that every carbon
atom has 6 protons, so that the neutron numbers of these isotopes are 6, 7 and 8
respectively.


Radioactive Isotopes

Radioactive isotope, also called radioisotope, any of several species of the same
chemical element with different masses whose nuclei are unstable and dissipate excess
energy by spontaneously emitting radiation in the form of alpha, beta, and gamma rays.
Every chemical element has one or more radioactive isotopes. For example, hydrogen,
the lightest element, has three isotopes with mass numbers 1, 2, and 3. Only hydrogen-3
(tritium), however, is a radioactive isotope, the other two being stable. More than 1,000
radioactive isotopes of the various elements are known. Approximately 50 of these are
found in nature; the rest are produced artificially as the direct products of nuclear
reactions or indirectly as the radioactive descendants of these products.

Uses of Radioactive Isotopes
{Radioisotopes}

Radioactive isotopes have many useful applications. In medicine, for example, cobalt-
60 is extensively employed as a radiation source to arrest the development of cancer
Other radioactive isotopes are utilized as tracers for diagnostic purposes, as well as in
research on metabolic processes.
Iodine-131 has proved effective in locating brain tumours, measuring cardiac output,
and determining liver and thyroid activity.
Another medically important radioactive isotope is carbon-14, which is useful in
studying abnormalities of metabolism that underlie diabetes, gout, anaemia, and
acromegaly.
In industry, radioactive isotopes of various kinds are used for measuring the thickness of
metal or plastic sheets; their precise thickness is indicated by the strength of the
radiations that penetrate the material being inspected.
Other significant applications include the use of radioactive isotopes as compact sources
of electrical powere.g., plutonium-238 in cardiac pacemakers and spacecraft. In such
cases, the heat produced in the decay of the radioactive isotope is converted into
electricity by means of thermoelectric junction circuits or related devices.
Food irradiation is a method of treating food in order to make it safer to eat and have a
longer shelf life. This process is not very different from other treatments such as
pesticide application, canning, freezing and drying. The end result is that the growth of
disease-causing microorganisms or those that cause spoilage are slowed or are
eliminated altogether. This makes food safer and also keeps it fresh longer. Food
irradiated by exposing it to the gamma rays of a radioisotope -- one that is widely used
is cobalt-60. The energy from the gamma ray passing through the food is enough to
destroy many disease-causing bacteria as well as those that cause food to spoil, but is
not strong enough to change the quality, flavour or texture of the food. It is important
to keep in mind that the food never comes in contact with the radioisotope and is never
at risk of becoming radioactive.
Radioactive isotopes are used in the agricultural industry as tracers in plants.
Radioisotopes are added to fertilizers in small but known quantities. The uptake of the
fertilizer can be measured by the researcher measuring how radioactive a plant has
become. This technique is largely a research tool without practical application on farms.
Examples of isotopes used for this purpose include phosphorous32 and nitrogen15.
In addition to diagnostic applications, radiotherapy is used to sterilize medical
instruments. Because it can be applied at very low temperatures, radiation can be used
to sterilize plastic instruments that might be destroyed by steam. In addition, the
radiation can reach all areas of an instrument, including small cervices, those traditional
steam treatments often misses.