
Isotope - Wikipedia
Isotopes are distinct nuclear species (or nuclides) of the same chemical element. They have the same atomic number (number of protons in their nuclei) and position in the periodic table (and hence belong to the same chemical element), but different nucleon numbers (mass numbers) due to different numbers of neutrons in their nuclei.
Isotope | Examples & Definition | Britannica
Mar 13, 2025 · What is an isotope? An isotope is one of two or more species of atoms of a chemical element with the same atomic number and position in the periodic table and nearly identical chemical behavior but with different atomic masses and physical properties. Every chemical element has one or more isotopes. Why do isotopes have different properties?
What Is an Isotope? Definition and Examples - Science Notes …
Sep 13, 2019 · An isotope refers to a sample of atoms. When the number of protons and neutrons of an individual atom is studied, it is called a nuclide of the element. In nuclear science, the term nuclide is preferred over the term isotope.
What are Isotopes? | IAEA - International Atomic Energy Agency
Aug 19, 2022 · Like everything we see in the world, isotopes are a type of atom, the smallest unit of matter that retains all the chemical properties of an element. Isotopes are forms of a chemical element with specific properties. You can see the different …
ISOTOPE Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster
The meaning of ISOTOPE is any of two or more species of atoms of a chemical element with the same atomic number and nearly identical chemical behavior but with differing atomic mass or mass number and different physical properties.
Isotope Meaning - What are Isotopes? (Definition and Examples)
An isotope is a variation of an element that possesses the same atomic number but a different mass number. A group of isotopes of any element will always have the same number of protons and electrons.
DOE Explains...Isotopes | Department of Energy
Isotopes are members of a family of an element that all have the same number of protons but different numbers of neutrons. The number of protons in a nucleus determines the element’s atomic number on the Periodic Table. For example, carbon has six …
Isotope Definition and Examples in Chemistry - ThoughtCo
Feb 4, 2020 · Isotopes are samples of an element with different numbers of neutrons in their atoms. The number of protons for different isotopes of an element does not change. Not all isotopes are radioactive. Stable isotopes either never decay or else decay very slowly. Radioactive isotopes undergo decay.
What Is an Isotope? | HowStuffWorks
Jun 9, 2023 · Isotopes are a vital concept in the study of atoms. Chemists, physicists and geologists use them to make sense of our world. But before we can explain what isotopes are — or why they're so important — we'll need to take a step back and look at atoms as a whole. Sports and science cross paths more often than you'd think.
4.3: Isotopes - Chemistry LibreTexts
Apr 10, 2025 · An isotope of any element can be uniquely represented as \({}_Z^{A}X\)where X is the atomic symbol of the element. The isotope of carbon that has 6 neutrons is therefore \(\ce{_6^{12}C}\) The subscript indicating the atomic number is actually redundant because the atomic symbol already uniquely specifies Z. Consequently, it is more often ...