uses of isotopes

. When the plant or animal dies fresh carbon is no longer taken in and the C - 14, which is present, decays. Thus, the length of time a specimen has been dead may be determined by the activity of the C - 14, which remains in it. Carbon - dating has therefore become an important tool for archaeologi..

. Graphite, a form of carbon, is one type of moderator. It surrounds the cans containing the fuel. Ordinary water, heavy water, and beryllium can also be used as moderators. Heavy water contains an isotope of hydrogen that is heavier than ordinary hydrogen. Control rods regulate..

Radioactivity is broadly classified into two categories: a) Natural radioactivity and b) Artificial or Induced radioactivity. If a substance emits radiations by itself, it is said to possess natural radioactivity. If a substance does not possess radioactivity but starts emitting radiations on ..

. This is the principle underlying the hydrogen or thermonuclear bomb. A hydrogen bomb consists of an arrangement of nuclear fission in the centre. It is surrounded by a mixture of deuterium The nuclear fission provides heat and neutrons. The neutrons are used in converting lithium i..

Two consequences of nuclear reactions are the phenomena of nuclear fission and nuclear fusion. Both are important sources of nuclear energy, which may be used for peaceful or destructive purposes. When a nucleus is bombarded with some sub-atomic particles such as a - particles, neutrons, ..

. The SI unit of radioactivity is becquerel (Bq) named after Antoine Becquerel, which is equal to one disintegration per second. The older unit, curie, named after Marie Curie is still used, One Curie (Ci) is defined as the amount of radioactive isotope that give 3.7 x 10 1 0 di..

. When a nucleus emits radiation it is said to decay. Rays from radioactive isotopes are dangerous to living things but are also useful in variety of ways. Exposure to large amounts of radiation is harmful to health. All radioactive materials should always be handled with care a..

Nuclear reactions involving the bombardment technique by different particles have been used to synthesise artificial elements such as Technetium, Astatine and Transuranium. (Z > 92) which follow uranium in the periodic table. The nuclear reactions used to synthesise some of thes..

Natural uranium contains very little (0.72%) of its fissionable isotope 2 3 5 U needs to be enriched in the latter to be useful as a fuel in nuclear reactor. A breeder reactor is one that produces more fissionable nuclei than it consumes. Another serious problem about U-235 is t..

. This is known as ocean thermal energy. Small scale experiments have shown that it might be possible to build large ocean thermal energy systems but they would be quite expensive. Different seas have different concentrations of salt. When two seas meet, electricity can be produced by making u..