What makes an isotope of an element?
Different forms of an element have the same number of protons but different numbers of electrons.
Different forms of an element have a different number of protons but the same number of neutrons.
Different forms of an element have the same number of protons but different numbers of neutrons.
Different forms of an element have a different number of protons but the same
number of electrons.
Different forms of an element have the same number of protons but different numbers of neutrons.
Different forms of an element have the same number of protons but different numbers of neutrons.
The correct answer is: Different forms of an element have the same number of protons but different numbers of neutrons.
To understand why, let's start by defining an isotope. Isotopes are different versions of an element that have the same number of protons (which defines the element itself) but different numbers of neutrons. Protons carry a positive charge, while neutrons carry no charge.
For example, let's consider the element carbon. The most common form of carbon has 6 protons and 6 neutrons, so it is called carbon-12 (written as 12C). However, there are other isotopes of carbon, such as carbon-13 (13C) with 6 protons and 7 neutrons, and carbon-14 (14C) with 6 protons and 8 neutrons.
These different isotopes of carbon behave the same chemically because their electron configuration is determined by the number of protons, which remains constant. However, the presence of more or fewer neutrons can affect the stability and physical properties of the atom.
Isotopes are important in various scientific fields, such as radiocarbon dating and nuclear medicine, where the different numbers of neutrons influence the decay rate and properties of the isotopes.