Isotopes and Their Uses

Isotopes Any of two or more forms of a chemic element, having the same number of protons in the nucleus, but having different numbers of neutrons ar called isotopes. Some isotopes be un lasting, especially those with a lot of neutrons comp bed to the number of protons in the nucleus. These isotopes tend to eject many particles, in the form of radiation, until a stable nucleus is produced this is called the radio alert decay. Four isotopes as well as their uses are mentioned subsequently.Americium Americium is a silvery metal, which corrodes slowly in production line and is soluble in acid. It has the isotopes Am-243, Am-242 and Am-241, with a half-life of 432 years, which was the first isotope to be isolated. The isotope Am-241decays byemitting alpha particles and intense gamma radiation to become neptunium-237. Americium (in confederacy with beryllium) is also use as a neutron source in non-destructive interrogation of machinery and equipment, and as a thickness gauge in the glass industry.However, its almost common application is as an ionization source in fastball detectors, and most of the several kilograms of americium made each year are use in this way. One gram of americium oxide provides enough active material for more thanthree millionhousehold smoke detectors. krypton Krypton 85 (Kr-85) is a radioisotope of krypton. It is a radioactive gas lay out in the atmosphere and produced by nuclear explosions, nuclear power plants, volcanoes and earthquakes. Krypton-85 is odorless, pallid and tasteless and emits low-level radiation levels of both gamma and beta rays.Krypton-85 is ordinarily produced in gas mixtures with argon or xenon to improve the ionization in light bulbs by reducing their starting voltage. It also is used in plasma displays, spark gaps and for leak detection. Strontium Strontium-90 is a radioactive isotope, with a half-life of 28. 8 years. Sr-90 finds extensive use in treat and industry, as a radioactive source for superficia l radiotherapy of some cancers. Controlled amounts of this isotope can be used in treatment of bone cancer. As the radioactive decay of strontium-90 generates significant amount of heat, it is used as a heat ource in radioisotope thermoelectric generators, this is a device where heat released by the decay of a radioactive material is converted into electricity. It is also used as a radioactive tracer in medicine and agriculture. thorium Thorium-230 is a radioactive isotope of thorium, which can be used to date corals and bump ocean current flux. Ionium was a name given early in the study of radioactive elements to the Th-230 isotope produced in the decay chain of U-238 before it was realised that ionium and thorium are chemically identical. The symbol Io was used for this supposed element.