2.4 Isotopes
Section 1 of 3
What Are Isotopes?
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Isotopes are atoms of the same element that have the same number of protons but a different number of neutrons in their nucleus. Since the number of protons defines the element, isotopes are still the same element but have different mass numbers. For example, all carbon atoms have 6 protons, but some carbon atoms have 6 neutrons (carbon-12), while others have 7 neutrons (carbon-13) or even 8 neutrons (carbon-14).
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