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radionuclide

File:NuclideMap_stitched_2.png · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons

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radionuclide

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Also known as radioactive nuclide, radioactive isotope

thumb|Chart of known nuclides . The vast majority are radionuclides.

AI overview

A radionuclide is a type of atom with an unstable nucleus that releases energy and particles as it breaks down over time. They're important because they're far more common than stable atoms in nature, and understanding them helps us track radioactive materials used in medicine, power generation, and other applications.

AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.

Wikidata facts

Subclass of
nuclide
Image
Americium-241.jpg
Show 5 more facts
Commons category
Radionuclides
described by source
Armenian Soviet Encyclopedia
different from
radiogenic nuclide
topic's main category
Category:Radioactive isotopes
on focus list of Wikimedia project
Wikipedia:Vital articles/Level/4
Sources (4)

via Wikidata · CC0

~20 min read

Encyclopedic overview

16 sections
Contents
  • Production and effects
  • Origins
  • Overview
  • Natural
  • Nuclear fission
  • Synthetic
  • Uses
  • Examples
  • Household [[Smoke detector|smoke detectors]]
  • Impacts on organisms
  • Summary table for classes of nuclides, stable and radioactive
  • See also
  • Notes
  • References
  • Further reading
  • External links

thumb|Chart of known nuclides . The vast majority are radionuclides.

A radionuclide (radioactive nuclide, radioisotope or radioactive isotope) is a nuclide that is unstable and known to undergo radioactive decay into a different nuclide, which may be another radionuclide (see decay chain) or be stable. Radiation emitted by radionuclides is almost always ionizing radiation because it is energetic enough to liberate an electron from another atom.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “radionuclide” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

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