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Chemistry vocabulary · Atoms and the Periodic Table

Isotope

Meaning in chemistry, with examples

/ˈaɪsətəʊp/nounCommon term

In chemistry, isotope means: One of two or more forms of the same element whose atoms have the same number of protons but a different number of neutrons, such as carbon-12 and carbon-14.

In Turkish: izotop

How it is used

Used in analytical, nuclear and environmental chemistry. Isotopes are stable or radioactive; chemists talk about isotope ratios, isotopic labeling and deuterium, the heavy isotope of hydrogen.

Example sentences

  1. Chlorine has two stable isotopes, chlorine-35 and chlorine-37.

  2. The mass spectrum clearly shows the isotope pattern of the two bromine atoms.

Common collocations

  • stable isotope
  • radioactive isotope
  • isotope ratio
  • heavy isotope
  • isotopic labeling
  • atomThe smallest unit of an element that keeps its chemical identity. It has a tiny nucleus of protons and neutrons, with electrons moving around it.
  • atomic numberThe number of protons in the nucleus of an atom. It identifies the element: every carbon atom has 6 protons and every oxygen atom has 8.
  • elementA pure substance made of only one kind of atom, all with the same number of protons. It cannot be broken down into simpler substances by chemical reactions.
  • mass spectrometryAn analysis method that turns molecules into ions, separates the ions by their mass-to-charge ratio (m/z) and uses the result to find molecular mass and structure.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Atoms and the Periodic Table

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