isotoopide

Isotoopide refers to variants of a chemical element that occupy the same position in the periodic table (the same atomic number Z) but differ in the number of neutrons, and thus in mass number A. These variants are collectively known in English as isotopes. The chemical properties of isotoopide are nearly identical because chemical behavior depends primarily on electron structure governed by Z, while the nuclei can differ in stability.

Nuclide notation and numbers: a nucleus is denoted X-A or Z(X) with mass number A and atomic number Z. The neutron number is N = A - Z. Some isotoopide are stable, while others are radioactive and decay with characteristic half-lives.

Natural occurrence: many elements have multiple naturally occurring isotopes; some are stable, some radioactive produced by decay chains. Isotopic abundances provide clues about geological age, climatic history, and biological processes. In experiments, isotoopide can be produced in reactors or particle accelerators.

Applications: radioactive isotoopide are used in medical imaging and therapy (for example technetium-99m, fluorine-18 in PET), radiometric dating (carbon-14, uranium-lead), tracing chemical pathways in biology and environmental science, and industrial uses. Isotopic labeling enables tracking of molecules in reactions and organisms. Isotopic separation and enrichment techniques include mass spectrometry and gas centrifugation, enabling analysis and production of specific isotoopide for research and industry.

Notes: the term isotoopide is used in some languages to refer to isotopes; in English the standard term is isotopes. Despite sharing chemistry, isotoopide can differ in physical properties such as mass and nuclear stability, which underpins their diverse applications.