10.2.1 Radioisotopes

Isotopes

1. Isotopes are atoms of certain elements which have the same number of protons but different number of neutrons in the nucleus of the atoms.
2. It can also be defined as atoms of certain elements with the same proton numbers but with different nucleon numbers.
3. Isotopes have the same chemical properties but different physical properties.
4. Table below shows the proton and nucleon number of the isotopes of hydrogen and oxygen.

Element	Name	Symbol	Proton Number	Nucleon Number	Number of proton	Number of neutron
Hydrogen	Hydrogen		1	1	1	0
	Deuterium		1	12	1	1
	Tritium		1	23	1	2
Oxygen	Oxygen-16		8	16	8	8
	Oxygen-17		8	17	8	9
	Oxygen-18		8	18	8	10

Radioactivity

1. Radioactivity is the spontaneous process of an unstable nucleus emitting radioactive emission in order to become more stable.
2. The process is said to be spontaneous because it is neither affected by the physical condition nor the chemical composition.
3. Decay is said to occur in the parent nucleus and produces a daughter nucleus. This is a random process, i.e. it is impossible to predict the decay of individual atoms.

Radioisotopes

Isotopes of an element that undergo radioacivity is called the radioisotopes.