What are the 3 radioactive elements?

The following radioactive elements are found naturally in the environment.

  • Alpha Radiation. Alpha radiation is a type of energy released when certain radioactive elements decay or break down.
  • Uranium. Uranium is a radioactive element that can be found in soil, air, water, rocks, plants and food.
  • Radium.
  • Radon.
  • Polonium.

What are examples of radioactive isotopes?

What are some commonly-used radioisotopes?

Radioisotope Half-life
Hydrogen-3 (tritium) 12.32 years
Carbon-14 5,700 years
Chlorine-36 301,000 years
Lead-210 22.2 years

What are 3 uses of radioactivity?

Today, to benefit humankind, radiation is used in medicine, academics, and industry, as well as for generating electricity. In addition, radiation has useful applications in such areas as agriculture, archaeology (carbon dating), space exploration, law enforcement, geology (including mining), and many others.

Where are the radioactive isotopes on the periodic table?

A good example of this is tritium, a radioactive isotope of hydrogen naturally present at extremely low levels. This table contains the elements that have no stable isotopes….Radioactive Elements.

Element Most Stable Isotope Half-life of Most Stable Isotope
Radium Ra-226 1600 years
Actinium Ac-227 21.77 years
Thorium Th-229 7.54 x 104 years

Is carbon 13 a radioactive isotope?

By far the most common isotope of carbon is carbon-12 (12C), which contains six neutrons in addition to its six protons. The next heaviest carbon isotope, carbon-13 (13C), has seven neutrons. Unlike 12C and 13C, this isotope is unstable, or radioactive. Over time, a 14C atom will decay into a stable product.

How many sulfur isotopes are radioactive?

Radioactive sulfur isotopes. Sulfur has 14 unstable isotopes. Radioactive sulfur with mass 35 is formed in the atmosphere from cosmic ray spallation of argon with mass 40 and has a half-life of 87 days.

Why are some isotopes radioactive?

Radioactive isotopes decay spontaneously because their nuclei are unstable. According to the theory, If the ratio of neutrons to protons more than one, or becomes too large, the isotope is radioactive or the atomic number is above 83, the isotope will be radioactive.

What are radioactive isotopes?

Radioactive isotopes have an unstable nucleus that decays or emits excess energy or radiation until the nucleus becomes stable. They can be naturally occurring or artificial isotopes of an element. Are you a student or a teacher?

How many isotopes are there in the periodic table?

For example, hydrogen, the lightest element, has three isotopes, which have mass numbers 1, 2, and 3. Only hydrogen-3 (tritium), however, is a radioactive isotope; the other two are stable. More than 1,800 radioactive isotopes of the various elements are known.

How are radioisotopes used in medical applications?

Medical applications use artificial radioisotopes that have been produced from stable isotopes bombarded with neutrons. Learn more about the field of nuclear medicine, which employs radioactive isotopes in the diagnosis and treatment of disease. Learn more about radiotherapy, the use of radioisotopes to destroy diseased cells.

How many isotopes does the lightest element have?

For example, hydrogen, the lightest element, has three isotopes, which have mass numbers 1, 2, and 3. Only hydrogen-3 (tritium), however, is a radioactive isotope; the other two are stable.