Question

How does carbon 14 differ from carbon 12 and carbon 13?

Answer 1

Hint: In this question, we will know about the carbon and we will also know about the basics of isotopes of carbon that are: carbon 14, carbon-13 and carbon-12. This will give us the basic difference between these isotopes of carbon. Further, we will also know about the amorphous carbon, for better understanding.

Complete solution:
As we know that carbon exists in many different isotopes. From all the isotopes the most common is carbon 12, carbon 13 and carbon 14. All of these three isotopes of carbon have the same atomic number but they have different mass numbers.

Now, we also know that carbon has the atomic number of 6; this means that all isotopes of carbon have the same proton number.

However, the number of neutrons is different for all the isotopes, this give us different mass numbers. If we go in detail, carbon-12 has 6 neutrons, carbon-13 has 7 neutrons, and the last one, and carbon-14 contains 8 neutrons.

Now, carbon-12 and carbon-13 are stable isotopes, which mean that the nucleus of these two isotopes of carbon does not undergo radioactive decay.

Whereas, carbon-14 possesses an unstable nucleus that means carbon-14 undergoes radioactive decay. Also, in this process one of the neutrons in the carbon-14 is changed into a proton through the process of beta decay.

Here, in the beta decay the proton number increases by one, and so, the atomic number of carbon-14 is no longer 6, but changes to 7. Therefore, we get the new element that is nitrogen represented by N.

Therefore, we get the difference between the given isotopes of carbon.

Additional information:
As we know from the basics that carbon is the sixth most abundant element in the universe. Also, carbon is most commonly obtained from the coal deposits.
The three naturally occurring allotropes of carbon are known as amorphous, graphite and diamond.

Here, the amorphous carbon is formed when a material contains carbon that has been burned without enough oxygen for the carbon to burn completely. This black soot of carbon is also known as lampblack, gas black, channel black or carbon black. This carbon is used to make inks, paints and rubber products. Amorphous carbon can be pressed into different shapes and this is also used to form the cores of most dry cell batteries.

Note:
 We should remember that carbon-14 is used in carbon dating to date certain fossils. We should know that the diamond is the third naturally occurring form of the carbon. Also, diamond is one of the hardest substances known to us.