What are isotopes?
Q: What are isotopes?
A: Isotopes are different types of atoms of a chemical element that have very similar behavior, but weigh different amounts.
Q: How do isotopes differ from each other?
A: Atoms of the same element have the same number of protons, but different isotopes have different numbers of neutrons. As a result, they also have different mass numbers, which is the number of protons plus the number of neutrons.
Q: Are all isotopes stable?
A: No, some isotopes are not stable so they change to another isotope or element by radioactive decay. These are called radioactive isotopes while others that are not radioactive are called stable isotopes.
Q: How can an isotope be identified?
A: An isotope is usually named by giving the element and its mass number. For example, carbon-12 or 12C is an atom with 6 protons and 6 neutrons while carbon-14 or 14C has 8 neutrons instead.
Q: What does "isotope" mean?
A: The word "isotope" means "at the same place", referring to how all atoms of the same element appear in the same place on the periodic table.
Q: Why do atoms with more neutrons weigh more than those with fewer neutrons?
A: Atoms with more neutrons weigh more because they contain additional particles (neutrons) that add to their overall mass compared to those with fewer neutrons.
