Why Isotopes Should be More Widely Known
In his chemistry class, Leo P. ('20), explored the concept of isotopes and their importance.
Isotopes are different atoms of the same element that have have the same number of protons but different numbers of neutrons. This is why all isotopes have the same atomic number, but different mass numbers according to how many neutrons they have. The average atomic mass of an element (which is displayed on the periodic table) is a weighted average of the mass numbers of the naturally occurring isotopes of an element. Isotopes can be stable or unstable based on how many neutrons there are (or are not) to buffer the protons apart. Without neutrons, the protons would repel each other and the nucleus wouldn’t stay together. However, if there are too many neutrons, the nucleus will be unstable because the protons will be too far apart and they will not stay together. If there are not enough neutrons, the protons will repel each other and not stay together. An atom’s instability will often cause it to be radioactive and release some sort of energy waves.
Isotopes were discovered when J.J Thomson put a vaporized sample of neon through a mass spectrometer (shown below). First, the neon was ionized so that it’s deflectable by an electromagnet. Then, the ions are accelerated towards the curve/end of the tube at which point the electromagnet will deflect them and they will travel towards the amplifier which will mark the time at which each ion passes it. After conducting the experiment, the Thomson found that different ions hit the amplifier at different times, which lead them to the conclusion that certain ions must have lower masses than other ones. This was explained by the fact that less massive ions could be deflected farther and therefore travelled shorter paths to the amplifier. Based on these results, Thomson and his team knew that atoms of the same element could have different masses, so they divided the ‘forms’ of each element into isotopes.
Cobalt has twenty-two isotopes, four of which are radioactive. By studying the isotopes of cobalt, doctors discovered that a certain isotope of cobalt (cobalt-60) can be used to kill cancer cells in patients. In the process of radiotherapy, doctors use the gamma rays emitted from cobalt-60 in order to kill cancer cells in a patient.
Another excellent application of scientists’ knowledge of isotopes is their work with the C-14 atom. Scientists found that C-14 eventually loses its extra neutrons and becomes C-12 in a process called radioactive decay. It takes C-14 a few thousand years to decay, so, based on the C-14 locked inside of an artifact from thousands of years ago, archaeologists can measure how many years old that object is. The process of using this radioactive isotope of carbon to date a historical artifact is called carbon dating.
These are just a few of the many applications of isotopes. We use plutonium-238 to power our rockets for space-travel, uranium-238 for nuclear weapons, and various kinds of radioactive isotopes to measure the thickness of metal sheets in factories. Isotopes ought to be more widely known because our knowledge of them has been central to many of the achievements of mankind, and has helped us develop much of the technology we use today.
Sources:
Britannica, T. E. (2017, December 18). Radioactive isotope. Retrieved March 31, 2018, from
https://www.britannica.com/science/radioactive-isotope
Studios, R. (n.d.). Neutron Madness. Retrieved March 31, 2018, from
http://www.chem4kids.com/files/atom_isotopes.html
Isotopes were discovered when J.J Thomson put a vaporized sample of neon through a mass spectrometer (shown below). First, the neon was ionized so that it’s deflectable by an electromagnet. Then, the ions are accelerated towards the curve/end of the tube at which point the electromagnet will deflect them and they will travel towards the amplifier which will mark the time at which each ion passes it. After conducting the experiment, the Thomson found that different ions hit the amplifier at different times, which lead them to the conclusion that certain ions must have lower masses than other ones. This was explained by the fact that less massive ions could be deflected farther and therefore travelled shorter paths to the amplifier. Based on these results, Thomson and his team knew that atoms of the same element could have different masses, so they divided the ‘forms’ of each element into isotopes.
Cobalt has twenty-two isotopes, four of which are radioactive. By studying the isotopes of cobalt, doctors discovered that a certain isotope of cobalt (cobalt-60) can be used to kill cancer cells in patients. In the process of radiotherapy, doctors use the gamma rays emitted from cobalt-60 in order to kill cancer cells in a patient.
Another excellent application of scientists’ knowledge of isotopes is their work with the C-14 atom. Scientists found that C-14 eventually loses its extra neutrons and becomes C-12 in a process called radioactive decay. It takes C-14 a few thousand years to decay, so, based on the C-14 locked inside of an artifact from thousands of years ago, archaeologists can measure how many years old that object is. The process of using this radioactive isotope of carbon to date a historical artifact is called carbon dating.
These are just a few of the many applications of isotopes. We use plutonium-238 to power our rockets for space-travel, uranium-238 for nuclear weapons, and various kinds of radioactive isotopes to measure the thickness of metal sheets in factories. Isotopes ought to be more widely known because our knowledge of them has been central to many of the achievements of mankind, and has helped us develop much of the technology we use today.
Sources:
Britannica, T. E. (2017, December 18). Radioactive isotope. Retrieved March 31, 2018, from
https://www.britannica.com/science/radioactive-isotope
Studios, R. (n.d.). Neutron Madness. Retrieved March 31, 2018, from
http://www.chem4kids.com/files/atom_isotopes.html
