Question

Write a short on isotopes. List its applications.



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Answer 1

Isotopes are variants of a particular chemical element which differ in neutron number. All isotopes of a given element have the same number of protonsin each atom. The term isotope is formed from the Greek roots isos (ἴσος "equal") and topos (τόπος"place"), meaning "the same place"; thus, the meaning behind the name is that different isotopes of a single element occupy the same position on the periodic table.

The number of protons within the atom's nucleus is called atomic number and is equal to the number ofelectrons in the neutral (non-ionized) atom. Each atomic number identifies a specific element, but not the isotope; an atom of a given element may have a wide range in its number of neutrons. The number ofnucleons (both protons and neutrons) in the nucleus is the atom's mass number, and each isotope of a given element has a different mass number.

Answer 2

Each of two or more forms of the same element that contain equal numbers of protons but different numbers of neutrons in their nuclei, and hence differ in relative atomic mass but not in chemical properties; in particular, a radioactive form of an element.

Radioactive isotopes have many useful applications. In medicine, for example, cobalt-60 is extensively employed as a radiation source to arrest the development of cancer. Other radioactive isotopes are used as tracers for diagnostic purposes as well as in research on metabolic processes.