There are two types of radioactivity. They are:

1. Natural Radioactivity is the spontaneous disintegration of the nucleus of an atom during which the alpha-particle, beta-particle or gamma-ray or a combination of any or all three and heat is released. This changes the atomic number of the element, hence a new element is formed

2. Artificial Radioactivity occurs when an ordinary material (not normally radioactive) is made radioactive by bombarding it with radioactive particles.

Radioisotopes or radioactive isotopes are isotopes that are made artificially by bombarding neutrons, protons or deuterons at elements.

Deuteron is the atomic nucleus of a deuterium atom consisting of a proton and a neutron

Deuterium (heavy hydrogen) with a chemical symbol of ‘D’ is an isotope of hydrogen made up of a proton and one neutron in each atom – nuclide 2

A nuclide is an atomic nucleus specified by its atomic number and atomic mass