What is Radioactivity?
Radioactivity refers to the natural occurrence of certain unstable atomic nuclei that undergo decay to achieve stability. This decay process involves the transformation of one element into another.
Here Decay means change in form like conversion of an Unstable Radioactive atom to a stable atom.
Radioactivity can also be defined as the decay of Parent atom to a stable daughter radioisotope atom.
What is a Radioisotope?
A Radioisotope is a Radioactive Isotope.
Radioactive means it has Unstable nuclei, Emit radiation, Have different half-lives.
An isotope is an element that has the same number of protons (and thus the same atomic number) but a different number of neutrons in its nucleus.
Examples of Radioisotopes
Radioactive Isotopes can be used to date a past event or to find the age of an old material.
By Estimating the concentration of radioisotope in a living thing, dating can be performed.
For Example:
Normally the concentration of C12 and C14 isotopes remains constant in our body with the environment.
After the death there will be no exchange of C14, thus its concentration remains same and with time it converts to N14, and the concentration of N14 and C14 calculated for dating.
If N14 and C14 concentration is equal, it means half of C14 is converted to N14 indicating t1/2
t1/2 is the Half Life.
Estimating t1/2 values are
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