Question
what is isotope
Answers
GPT-4o mini
An isotope is a variant of a chemical element that has the same number of protons (and thus belongs to the same element) but a different number of neutrons in its nucleus. This difference in neutron number results in varying atomic masses for the isotopes of a given element.
For example, carbon has several isotopes, the most common of which are:
- Carbon-12 (¹²C): This isotope has 6 protons and 6 neutrons.
- Carbon-13 (¹³C): This is a stable isotope with 6 protons and 7 neutrons.
- Carbon-14 (¹⁴C): This is a radioactive isotope with 6 protons and 8 neutrons, which is used in radiocarbon dating.
Isotopes can be stable or unstable (radioactive), and they have various applications in fields such as medicine, archaeology, and nuclear energy.
For example, carbon has several isotopes, the most common of which are:
- Carbon-12 (¹²C): This isotope has 6 protons and 6 neutrons.
- Carbon-13 (¹³C): This is a stable isotope with 6 protons and 7 neutrons.
- Carbon-14 (¹⁴C): This is a radioactive isotope with 6 protons and 8 neutrons, which is used in radiocarbon dating.
Isotopes can be stable or unstable (radioactive), and they have various applications in fields such as medicine, archaeology, and nuclear energy.