Chemistry Standard (Nuclear Processes) 11c: Students know some naturally occurring isotopes of elements are radioactive, as are isotopes formed in nuclear reactions.
There are several natural radioactive isotopes as well as synthetic radioactive isotopes that are formed in nuclear reactions. These are also called "radioisotopes." A radioactive isotope means that the isotope has an unstable nucleus. The isotopes split up or decay and give off radioation. Almost every chemical element has at least one or more radioactive isotopes. All elements with an atomic number greater than 83 are radioisotopes; elements with an atomic number of less than 83 have at least one radioactive isotope. A popular element, hydrogen, has three isotopes- but only hydrogen-3 is radioactive and the other two are stable. There are more than 1,000 known radioactive isotopes and approximately 50 of them are found in nature. The rest occur from nuclear reactions or are descendants of radioactive products.
Here is a list of commonly known elements and their radioactive isotopes:
- Hydrogen-3
- Carbon-14
- Calcium-41
- Iron-59
- Nickel-59
- Cobalt-60
- Zinc-65
- Silver-110
- Tin-126
- Iodine-129
- Iodine-131
- Iodine-134
- Lead-210
Although this is unknown to many people, radioactive isotopes have several common uses.
- Smoke detectors (Americium-241)
- Food Irradiation
- Agricultural farming as radioactive tracers
- Medical uses
- Archeological dating
- Irradiation in pest control
Click here to watch radioisotope video.
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