radioactive isotopes
Decay-emitting nuclear variants
Radioactive isotopes are variants of chemical elements with unstable nuclei that emit radiation as they decay into more stable forms.
They occur naturally (carbon-14, uranium-238) or are produced artificially in reactors and particle accelerators.
Medical applications include cancer treatment and diagnostic imaging; scientific uses include carbon dating and tracer studies.
Also called radioisotopes.
- uranium-235Fissile nuclear isotope
- technetium-99mMetastable medical radioisotope
- half-lifePeriod for fifty-percent reduction
- radioactive decayUnstable atoms releasing energy
- plutonium-239Fissile actinide isotope
atomic bomb · cesium-137 · nuclear medicine · medical imaging · gamma rays · iodine-131 · radiation shielding · carbon-14 · fission · nuclear reactor · radiocarbon dating · radiation · radiotherapy · dosimetry · radionuclide · alpha radiation · tritium · atomic structure
- nuclear radiationradiation exposure, radiation poisoning, fallout, nuclear meltdown, nuclear accident
- radiation sourcessun, uranium, plutonium, radium, radon
- radioactivityradioactive decay, radioisotopes, radionuclides, half-life, beta decay
- isotope hydrologytritium, deuterium, oxygen-18, oxygen-16, carbon-14
- Nuclear Materialsuranium, plutonium, enriched uranium, plutonium-239, uranium-235
- radioactive materialsuranium, plutonium, radium, thorium, radon