An isotope is an atom (the tiniest unit of matter) that has the characteristic of having the same number of protons but a different number of neutrons, causing them to differ in their mass number. According to its etymology, the term comes from the Greek "Isos" which means "Place" and "Topos" which means "in the same place" . As a consequence of this disproportionality in its nucleus, it causes more element radiation, having outstanding effects in different applied areas of science.
Its discovery is attributed to the English chemist Frederick Soddy in 1911 who studied the radiation of organic substances in the earth, he realized the equality of the chemical properties of the elements, but noting the difference that generated more radioactivity. Almost all chemical elements discovered at present possess the least one isotope stable and other unstable, they all lead to determine data relevant matter such as the age of the earth recently re - written in 2010 by scientist John Rudge the which said that due to the decay of the unstable isotopes of hafnium 182 and tungsten 182 the earth has an age of4.47 billion year ± 1%.
There are basically two types of isotopes, the natural ones that come from the elements of which the earth is composed or any element existing on the planet. Artificial isotopes are created in nuclear laboratories in which, under the subatomic particle bombardment procedure, they generate short-lived isotopes such as cesium, which is used for the electric power generation process in nuclear plants.
Scientific research fields such as medicine, hydrology, and petroleum engineering have made important advances with the application of unstable isotopes in their processes. Cancer treatment with Cobalt - 60 produces cleaner radiation economical in chemotherapiesand the medications that patients receive. In the petrochemical industry, the application of Gold - 198 allows increases in crude oil production as it improves the well drilling process and their secondary recovery. Finally, Nitrogen - 15, one of the most used, has favorably led the advancement of medicine as it is one of the main elements of magnetic resonators that are used to see clear images of the interior of the body.
