Isotopes&Radioisotopes.

A radioisotope is

a radioactive isotope of an element, consisting of atoms with unstable nuclei, which undergo radioactive decay to become stable, therefore emitting alpha, beta, or gamma radiation. These may occur naturally, as in the cases of radium and uranium, or may be created artificially. Scientists create artificial radioisotopes by bombarding stable atoms of an element with subatomic particles in a nuclear reactor. When the nucleus of a stable atom is charged by bombarding particles, the atom usually becomes unstable, or radioactive, and is said to be “labeled” or “tagged.”

An isotope is an atom that contains the

same number of protons but a different number of neutrons as an atom of the same element. There are currently275 isotopes of 81 elements. Oxygen isotopes range in mass number from 12-24. It has three stable isotopes; O-16, O-17 and O-18. 14 Radioisotopes of Oxygen have been found.