What are isotopes?

Isotopes are defined as atoms of the same element that have the same number of protons but differing numbers of neutrons. This variation in neutron count results in different mass numbers for the isotopes. For instance, in carbon, there are isotopes like Carbon-12 (with 6 neutrons) and Carbon-14 (with 8 neutrons). Despite these differences in neutrons, both isotopes remain classified as carbon because they share the same atomic number, which is determined by the number of protons. This fundamental characteristic allows isotopes to exhibit similar chemical properties while potentially having different physical properties, such as stability or radioactivity, which is particularly important in fields like nuclear chemistry and radiometric dating.