What are isotopes?
- Leaving Cert Chemistry - Question (a) - 2005
Question (a)
What are isotopes?
Worked Solution & Example Answer:What are isotopes?
- Leaving Cert Chemistry - Question (a) - 2005
Step 1
Definition of Isotopes
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Answer
Isotopes are atoms of the same element that have the same atomic number (which means they have the same number of protons) but different mass numbers. This difference in mass numbers is due to a varying number of neutrons in the nucleus of the atoms.
Step 2
Example of Isotopes
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Answer
For example, consider the element carbon. It has two common isotopes: Carbon-12 (C-12) and Carbon-14 (C-14). Both isotopes contain 6 protons, making them carbon, but C-12 has 6 neutrons, while C-14 has 8 neutrons. This leads to a difference in their mass numbers, which are 12 and 14, respectively.
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