Isotopes and Their Uses

2.4

Isotopes and Their Uses

Definition of Isotopes

Atoms of the same element that have the same number of protons but a different number of neutrons.

Relative Atomic Mass of Isotopes

Definition of Natural Abundance

Formula for Relative Atomic Mass

\(\color{black}\text{Relative atomic mass}= \dfrac{\Sigma\,(\%\, \text{Isotope } \times \text{Mass of isotope})}{100}\)

Field	Isotopes	Uses
Medicine	Cobalt-60	In radiotherapy to kill cancer cells without surgery.
Medicine	Iodine-131	Treatment of thyroid disorders such as hyperthyroidism and thyroid cancer.
Agriculture	Phosphorus-32	Study of plant metabolism.
Nuclear	Uranium-235	Generating electricity through nuclear power generator.
Archaeology	Carbon-14	Estimation of artifacts or fossils’ age.
Archaeology	Lead-210	In determining the age of sand and earth layers up to 80 years.
Industry	Hydrogen-3	As a detector to study sewage and liquid wastes.
Engineering	Sodium-24	In detecting leakage in underground pipes.

2.4

Isotopes and Their Uses

Definition of Isotopes

Atoms of the same element that have the same number of protons but a different number of neutrons.

Relative Atomic Mass of Isotopes

Definition of Natural Abundance

Formula for Relative Atomic Mass

\(\color{black}\text{Relative atomic mass}= \dfrac{\Sigma\,(\%\, \text{Isotope } \times \text{Mass of isotope})}{100}\)

Field	Isotopes	Uses
Medicine	Cobalt-60	In radiotherapy to kill cancer cells without surgery.
Medicine	Iodine-131	Treatment of thyroid disorders such as hyperthyroidism and thyroid cancer.
Agriculture	Phosphorus-32	Study of plant metabolism.
Nuclear	Uranium-235	Generating electricity through nuclear power generator.
Archaeology	Carbon-14	Estimation of artifacts or fossils’ age.
Archaeology	Lead-210	In determining the age of sand and earth layers up to 80 years.
Industry	Hydrogen-3	As a detector to study sewage and liquid wastes.
Engineering	Sodium-24	In detecting leakage in underground pipes.