Radioisotope

Pronounced RAY-dee-oh-I-suh-tope, radioisotope is an unstable form of a chemical element that releases radiation as it breaks down and becomes more stable.
Radioisotopes may occur in nature or be made in a laboratory.
In medicine, they are used in imaging tests and in treatment.
Also called radionuclide.

How are isotopes generated?[edit | edit source]

Isotopes can either form in one of two ways
spontaneously (naturally) through radioactive decay of a nucleus (i.e., emission of energy in the form of alpha particles, beta particles, neutrons, and photons) or
artificially by bombarding a stable nucleus with charged particles via accelerators or neutrons in a nuclear reactor. In some cases, a new isotope of the same element is produced.

In some cases, an element is converted to another element in a process called "transmutation."

As radioisotopes naturally decay, particles deposit (i.e., lose) energy onto materials such as air, water, and people as it passes through them.

Alpha particles energy is deposited across the shortest distance and, therefore, is "stopped" the most easily.
Beta particles require slightly more protection, and photons (gamma rays and X rays) need much greater shielding.
Neutron radiation is considered the most severe and dangerous to humans due to its high kinetic energy, so it typically requires the most significant shielding.

Materials with low atomic numbers (water, carbon, lithium, etc.) that can slow neutrons down usually offer the most effective shielding.

Radioisotope Resources
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