There are three stable forms of neon: neon-20, neon-21, and neon-22. Which statement is true?

Question

A. They are radioactive, like all isotopes.
B. The number of neutrons are the same.
C. Their numbers of protons differ.
D. Their atomic masses differ.

Answer 1

The correct statement is:

D. Their atomic masses differ.

Neon-20, neon-21, and neon-22 are isotopes of neon that differ in the number of neutrons they have, which results in different atomic masses. Specifically, neon-20 has 10 neutrons, neon-21 has 11 neutrons, and neon-22 has 12 neutrons, while they all have the same number of protons (10) since they are all isotopes of neon. Therefore, options A, B, and C are incorrect.