News2 mins ago
understanding concepts
4 Answers
How do radioisotopes of an element differ from other isotopes?
Answers
1 to 4 of 4
Best Answer
No best answer has yet been selected by kenzie2244. Once a best answer has been selected, it will be shown here.
For more on marking an answer as the "Best Answer", please visit our FAQ.
Not sure if the number of neutrons is really what the question is after. After all, any two isotopes of an element will differ from each other due to the number of neutrons, but thsi specifically asks why are radioisotopes different.
If asked this question I would say they differ because the nucleus of a radioisotope is unstable, unlike the other isotopes of that element, which means it at some point it will spontaneously decay into another isotope or even another element.
If asked this question I would say they differ because the nucleus of a radioisotope is unstable, unlike the other isotopes of that element, which means it at some point it will spontaneously decay into another isotope or even another element.
Cheeris is right. There are two types of isotopes: radio isotopes and stable isotopes. Radio isotopes decay into other elements, but stable isotopes do not as they are stable. For example, there are three isotopes of hydrogen: hydrogen (one proton), deuterium (one proton and one neutron), and tritium (one proton and two neutrons). hydrogen and deuterium are stable isotopes and tritium is a radio isotope.
1 to 4 of 4
