Isotopes are atoms of the same element that have different numbers of neutrons, and therefore different masses. All atoms of the same element have the same number of protons, which determines their identity. Any atom with six protons is a carbon atom. There are three common isotopes of carbon: Carbon-12 with 6 neutrons, carbon-13 with 7 neutrons and carbon-14 with 8 neutrons.
A naturally occurring sample of carbon is about 99% C-12 with very small...
Isotopes are atoms of the same element that have different numbers of neutrons, and therefore different masses. All atoms of the same element have the same number of protons, which determines their identity. Any atom with six protons is a carbon atom. There are three common isotopes of carbon: Carbon-12 with 6 neutrons, carbon-13 with 7 neutrons and carbon-14 with 8 neutrons.
A naturally occurring sample of carbon is about 99% C-12 with very small amounts of the other two isotopes. There's no difference in the chemical behavior of the different isotopes, but carbon-14 undergoes radioactive decay. It's used to date very old artifacts based on the percent of carbon-14 remaining.
Carbon occurs in nature in different forms: Coal, graphite and diamond. Different structures of an element with different properties are called allotropes. The differences between the allotropes of carbon are due to different types of bonding and have nothing to do with the number of neutrons.
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