What are the similarities and differences among the isotopes of an element?

Answer 1

Similar in number of protons, electrons, thus in chemical properties, except in nuclear reactions.

Different in number of neutrons, mass and a lot of physical properties.

Answer 2

Isotopes are atoms that share the number of protons (which effectively means same number of electrons when neutral) but differ in the number of neutrons (thus the Atomic Mass). Isotopes usually share the same chemically characteristics, since only electrons are involved in simple chemical equations.

But in nuclear chemistry, the isotopes usually differ in stability, since there is an important balance between the number of neutrons and protons in a nucleus that holds it together, thus uncommon isotopes (i.e. ones with atomic mass drastically different from the listed atomic mass on the Periodic Table) usually are extremely unstable and will decay to the more stable form (usually the common atomic mass or to a smaller atom).

Answer 3

Two isotopes of the same element have the same number of protons in their atomic nuclei and if neutral, the same number of electrons as protons. The difference is the number of neutrons in the nucleus.

Answer 4

An isotope is one form of an element. An element's isotopes differ in the number of neutrons. Chemically, all the isotopes of an element are the same. They differ in atomic weight because of the difference in neutrons.

In common use, the word isotope usually refers to the less stable isotopes of an element, which break down through radioactive decay.

Isotopes are the variations of elements regarding the amount of protons and neutrons in a nucleus.

Answer 5

All of the isotopes of an element have the same atomic number, and therefore, the same number of protons in the nuclei of their atoms. They also have the same number of electrons. Isotopes of an element differ in the number of neutrons in the nuclei of their atoms. Since mass number is the number of protons and neutrons in the nuclei of an isotopes atoms, they also differ in mass number.

Answer 6

Isotopes of an element have the same number of protons but different numbers of neutrons. They are chemically similar due to the same number of electrons, but have different atomic masses. This leads to variations in stability, radioactivity, and physical properties among isotopes of an element.

Answer 7

Their chemistry is almost identical, as is their physical properties.

Before the mass spectrometer it was next to impossible to separate isotopes.

Answer 8

The isotopes of an element has the same number of protons and electrons, but a different number of neutrons.

Answer 9

The number of protons and electrons is identical; the number of neutrons is different.