What is radioactive isotopes quizlet?
Radioactive isotopes is a natural or artificially created isotope of a chemical element having an unstable nucleus that decays, emitting alpha, beta, or gamma rays until stability is reached. Radioactivity is dangerous because they can penetrate the skin and damage cells inside.
What is a radioactive isotope simple definition?
(RAY-dee-oh-I-suh-tope) An unstable form of a chemical element that releases radiation as it breaks down and becomes more stable. Radioisotopes may occur in nature or be made in a laboratory. In medicine, they are used in imaging tests and in treatment. Also called radionuclide.
What are radioactive isotopes used for quizlet?
Radioactive isotopes are isotopes with a spontaneously decaying nucleus, and are used in medicine and biological research. They are used for biological research in carbon dating. Once you die, you stop taking in carbon 14.
How are radioactive isotopes detected quizlet?
Radioisotopes spontaneously change into other isotopes over time. Scientists can detect a radioactive substance by measuring the nuclear radiation it gives off. Alpha particles are made up of two protons and 2 neutrons.
What is a radioactive isotope and what are they used for?
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 used as tracers for diagnostic purposes as well as in research on metabolic processes.
What is radioactive decay quizlet?
Radioactive decay, also known as nuclear decay or radioactivity, is the process by which a nucleus of an unstable atom loses energy by emitting radiation. A material that spontaneously emits such radiation — which includes alpha particles, beta particles, gamma rays and conversion electrons — is considered radioactive.
What are radioactive isotopes Class 9?
(a).The isotopes which are unstable due to presence of extra neutrons in their nuclei and emit various types of radiations, are called radioactive isotopes or radioisotopes. For example: Carbon – 14 , Arsenic – 74.
What does a radioactive isotope do?
Different isotopes of the same element have the same number of protons in their atomic nuclei but differing numbers of neutrons. Radioisotopes are radioactive isotopes of an element. They can also be defined as atoms that contain an unstable combination of neutrons and protons, or excess energy in their nucleus.
What is an isotope How are isotopes used?
A “medical isotope” is simply a isotope that is used in the practice of medicine. Medical isotopes are the cornerstone of nuclear medicine, a branch of medical science that uses radioactive sources, atoms, and molecules to diagnose, characterize, and treat disease.
Why are isotopes useful?
Isotopes of an element all have the same chemical behavior, but the unstable isotopes undergo spontaneous decay during which they emit radiation and achieve a stable state. This property of radioisotopes is useful in food preservation, archaeological dating of artifacts and medical diagnosis and treatment.
What are the three types of nuclear radiation?
The three most common types of radiation are alpha particles, beta particles, and gamma rays.
Do radioactive isotopes occur naturally?
How do radioisotopes occur? The unstable nucleus of a radioisotope can occur naturally, or as a result of artificially altering the atom. In some cases a nuclear reactor is used to produce radioisotopes, in others, a cyclotron.
Why are some isotopes called radioactive?
Isotopes play key roles in healthcare, industr ial processes, and national security. Stable and radioactive isotopes (also called radioisotopes; see box 1) are utilized in a variety of medical and industrial applications ranging from diagnostic and therapeutic products to screening devices used to detect explosives and drugs.
Why are only some isotopes radioactive?
Why are only some isotopes radioactive? One of two reasons for radioactivity: either the nucleus is too large, or it has the wrong balance of neutrons and protons.
What does it mean if an isotope is radioactive?
If an isotope has an unstable nucleus that breaks down to emit radiation, then these are what we call radioactive isotopes, also known as radioisotopes. Radioactive isotopes have an unstable nucleus that decays or emits excess energy or radiation until the nucleus becomes stable. They can be naturally occurring or artificial isotopes of an element.
What are some disadvantages of radioactive isotopes?
Require nuclear reactors for production