Safety and Ethical Considerations in Isotope Use
Introduction to Isotopes and Their Significance in Chemistry
Isotopes are variants of chemical elements that share the same number of protons, but differ in their neutron count. This difference in nuclear composition results in varying atomic masses, and, importantly, distinctive physical and chemical properties. For example, Carbon-12 (C12) and Carbon-14 (C14) are both isotopes of carbon, with C12 being stable and C14 being radioactive.