Isotopes are atoms of the same element with different numbers of neutrons in their nuclei. By differing in the number of neutrons in the nucleus, they have a different mass number. If the isotopes are of different elements, then the number of neutrons will also be different. Chemical elements usually have more than one isotope.
Atoms that are isotopes of each other have the same atomic number, but different mass numbers. The atomic number is the number of protons in the nucleus, and the mass number is the sum of the number of neutrons and protons found in the nucleus..
There are 21 elements in the periodic table that only have one natural isotope for their element, such as beryllium or sodium. And on the other hand, there are elements that can reach 10 stable isotopes such as tin..
There are also elements such as uranium, in which its isotopes can transform into stable or less stable isotopes, where they emit radiation, which is why we call them unstable.
The unstable isotopes are used to estimate the age of natural samples, such as carbon 13, since knowing the decay rate of the isotope relating it to those that have already decayed, a very exact age can be known. In this way the age of the Earth is known.
We can distinguish between two types of isotopes, natural or artificial. Natural isotopes are found in nature and man-made isotopes are created in a laboratory by bombardment of subatomic particles..
1-Carbon 14: it is an isotope of carbon with a half-life of 5,730 years that is used in archeology to determine the age of rocks and organic matter.
2-Uranium 235: this isotope of uranium is used in nuclear power plants to provide nuclear energy, just as it is used to build atomic bombs.
3-Iridium 192: this isotope is an artificial isotope used to check the tightness of tubes.
4-Uranium 233: this isotope is artificial and not found in nature, and is used in nuclear power plants.
5-Cobalt 60: used for cancer as it emits radiation more powerful than radium and is cheaper.
6-Technetium 99: this isotope is used in medicine to look for blocked blood vessels
7-Radio 226: this isotope is used for the treatment of skin cancer
8-Bromo 82: this is used to carry out hydrographic studies of water flows or the dynamics of lakes.
9-Tritium: This isotope is a hydrogen isotope used in medicine as a tracer. The well-known hydrogen bomb is actually a tritium bomb.
10-Iodine 131: is a radionuclide that was used in nuclear tests carried out in 1945. This isotope increases the risk of cancer as well as diseases such as the thyroid.
11-Arsenic 73: used to determine the amount of arsenic that has been absorbed by the body
12-Arsenic 74: this is used for the determination and localization of brain tumors.
13-Nitrogen 15: used in scientific research to perform the nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy test. It is also used in agriculture.
14-Gold 198: this is used for drilling oil wells
15-Mercury 147: this is used to make electrolytic cells
16-Lanthanum 140: used in industrial boilers and furnaces
17-Phosphorus 32: used in bone medical tests, of bones as well as bone marrow
18-Phosphorus 33: used to recognize DNA nuclei or nucleotides.
19-Scandium 46: this isotope is used in soil and sediment analysis
20-Fluorine 18: It is also known as Fludeoxyglucose, and is used to study body tissues.
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