Isotopes

Let Us Learn About Isotopes

Atoms that have the same number of protons but different numbers of neutrons are called isotopes. The element hydrogen, for example, has three commonly known isotopes: protium, deuterium and tritium.

Atoms of the same element can have different numbers of neutrons; the different possible versions of each element are called isotopes. For example, the most common isotope of hydrogen has no neutrons at all; there's also a hydrogen isotope called deuterium, with one neutron, and another, tritium, with two neutrons.

Atoms of a specified element have the similar atomic number that is they include the same number of protons. However, they may include dissimilar numbers of neutrons. They correspond to the similar element and are chemically identical; they have dissimilar mass number (iso means same, tope means same place; they occupy the same place in the periodic table).

Isotopes:

Therefore atoms of the similar element having similar number of protons (atomic number) but unlike number of neutrons (dissimilar mass numbers), are known as isotopes. Isotopes may be logically happening or synthetically made.

Radio isotopes:

The term radio-isotope is the shortened form of radioactive isotope. If the isotope of an element is radioactive, then the isotope is called radio-isotope, referred to as radio-nuclide. Atleast one radio-isotope of every element is available. Over a thousand of them can be made artificially, mostly in nuclear reactors using slow neutrons as bombarding particles.

Examples for radio- isotopes:

Cobalt -60 an isotope of cobalt is radioactive; it is usually referred to as radio-cobalt. Radio-iodine(I¹⁸¹), radio-iron (Fe⁵⁹), radio-sodium(Na²⁴), Radio- phosphorous(P³⁰), radio-cobalt(Co⁶⁰), radio-sulphur(S³⁵) and radio- carbon(C¹⁴) are some of the radio- isotopes.

Uses of Isotopes:

Radio isotopes find applications in various fields; some are listed below.

a) Radio- phosphorous is used in agriculture to determine the kind of phosphates required for a given soil and crop.

b) Radio- iodine is used in the treatment of overactive thyroid glands and radio-cobalt in the treatment of cancer. Radio- sodium is used to study the action of medicines.

c) Radio- cobalt or radio-iridium is used in industry to check machine parts.

d) Radio- carbon is used to estimate the age of fossils and archaeological specimens.

Characteristics of isotopes

• All isotopes of an element have the same number of valence electrons thus have identical chemical properties.

• The physical properties of the isotopes are different due to the difference in the number of neutrons in their nuclei. The densities, melting points and boiling points etc., are slightly different.

Types of Isotopes

The isotopes are called as the atoms of the similar elements contain the similar atomic number and the similar chemical properties but various only in mass number.

The atomic masses of each isotope of the same element are different because the number of neutrons present in their nucleus is different.

The types of isotopes are declared in two types.

• Radioactive isotopes
• Non-radioactive isotopes

The first type is radioactive isotopes. These isotopes are unstable and impulsively disintegrate and give out alpha, beta and gamma rays.

The second type is non-radioactive isotopes. This type of isotopes is stable.

Application of the isotopes

• An isotope of uranium (U-235) is used in nuclear reactors to produce nuclear energy.
• An isotope of cobalt is used to treat patients with cancer.
• An isotope of iodine is used in the treatment of goiter.
• ¹⁴C₆ is used in estimating the age of old and dead objects in archaeology.