RADIOISOTOPES While most isotopes contain nuclei that are stable, there are some that contain unstable

nuclei. An unstable nucleus is radioactive because it spontaneously emits energy to become more stable. The energy emitted from the nucleus, called radiation, may be high-energy particles, such as alpha ( or beta () particles or gamma rays ( , which are pure energy. An isotope that emits radiation is called radioisotopes. While there are several naturally occurring radioisotopes, many more are produced artificially in nuclear laboratories. The half-life of a radioisotope is the time it takes for one-half of a sample to decay. For example , Iodine-131 has a half- life of 8 days. If we begin with a sample containing 20grams of Iodine-131, there will be 10 g remaining after 8days. Time Elapsed Number of half-lives Quantity of Iodine-131 0 0 20 g 8 days 1 10 g 16days 2 5.0 g 24days 3 2.5 g

Supply the missing information in the table: MEDICAL USE Heart Imaging Radiation therapy Abdominal Scan Hyperthyroidism
131 53I A ZX 201 81Tl

MASS NUMBER 60

NUMBER NUMBER OF OF PROTONS NEUTRONS 27 31 36

Addison-Wesley Publishing
Stable and Radioactive Isotopes of Some Elements Magnesium Stable isotopes 24 12Mg Magnesium-24 Radioactive isotopes 23 12Mg Magnesium-23 27 12Mg Magnesium-27
127

Leukemia Treatment Cancer Treatment Brain Scan Blood Flow

60 27Co

32

17

Iodine
53I Iodine-127 125 53I

Uranium none
235 92U

99 141 85
133 54Xe

43 58 47

Bone Scan Lung Function

Iodine-125 151 53I Iodine-131

Uranium-235 238 92U Uranium-238

44

39

18

75

Ru
101.1

B
10.81

Y
88.91

Ar
39.95

Re
186.2