What happens to isotopes that are unstable? What are the mechanisms by which uns

Question

What happens to isotopes that are unstable? What are the mechanisms by which unstable isotopes may decay into stable isotopes? How may these natural processes be used by chemists to make measurements in the medical, environmental or analytical chemical fields? What happens to isotopes that are unstable? What are the mechanisms by which unstable isotopes may decay into stable isotopes? How may these natural processes be used by chemists to make measurements in the medical, environmental or analytical chemical fields?

Explanation / Answer

An unstable isotope undergoes radioactive decay. It loses energy over time while emitting radiation. Large atomic nuclei with more than 93 protons are inherently unstable. When nuclei are unstable, the structure of nucleus changes. During this process, energy or sub atomic particles are given off. This is known as radioactive decay.

There are three types of radio decay- Alpha, beta and gamma decay. alpha particles carry a positive charge, beta particles carry a negative charge and gamma rays are neutral.

radioactive sources can be used to study loving organisms, to monitor various steps in industrial processes. Radioactive Tracers are used in medical field. For example- radioactive iodine-131 can be used to study the function of thyroid gland. Because of radioactivity, these isotopes can be easily traced in minute quantities. Radioisotopic tracers are used in environmental studies to check for water pollution and air pollution. They have been used to measure deep water currents in oceans.

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