Radioactive isotopes, also known as radio isotopes, are atoms that have been transformed in such a way that a greater number of neutrons are located in their center than an ordinary atom. This means that this new atom has the same number of electrons in its outer shell and this same atomic number is adjusted to the number of protons in its nucleus.
It is good to remember that isotopes are atoms with special properties: they are part of the same element as other normal atoms and have the same number of protons and electrons, however, they do not have the same number of neutrons. This particularity makes them a different atomic mass, with respect to the other atoms of the element in question; even if it has the same atomic number.
It should be noted that each atom has its own isotopes. There are cases where a single atom can present several types of isotopes and where some are more stable than others. An example of them is Uranium, which is a fairly unstable element, because the atom that integrates it expels radiation independently, while it becomes an atom with more stability, this is what is called an atom radioactive.
The situation may arise in which after the first decomposition of the nucleus, the atom cannot stabilize; What would happen in this case? Well, that the process would continue, until it was decomposed in its entirety until it became a new atom. It is important to note that this process can be carried out several times, until it finally stabilizes. The atoms that are obtained during this process are what is called the radioactive family.
There are a great variety of isotopes in the environment; An example of this is hydrogen, which has 3 natural isotopes: deuterium, protium and tritium. However, these can also be created in nuclear laboratories; This is achieved by striking the atoms of a certain element with subatomic particles. In order to identify them, it is necessary to add to the symbol that the element has, a subscript on the left side, with its respective atomic number. This way of recognizing them may seem a bit difficult; For this reason there is another nomenclature that consists of locating the name of the element and then adding a hyphen, which will have the mass number next to it. Example: Carbon-14.
Radioactive isotopes are very useful in the medical area, since they are used to sterilize the products that are frequently used in health centers, they are also used in surgeries and in the diagnosis of diseases.
