Question

What is the isotope composition of an element?

Answer 1

Hint :Isotopes have more number of neutrons in the nucleus of any element. Thus, it can be easier to write the isotope composition if the exact number of protons and neutrons are known.

Complete Step By Step Answer:
Isotope of any element is a species of the same element with the same atomic number and position in the periodic table and nearly identical behaviour but with different atomic masses and physical properties. Every chemical element has one or more isotopes.
Let us see an example first.
Now, the atomic number of carbon is 6, thus a carbon nucleus has 6 neutrons in it. Most carbon atoms have 6 neutrons in it, but there are many carbon atoms in which the nucleus has 7 protons instead of 6. This is called an isotope of carbon.
Thus, $ _{{}}^{12}C $ is the composition of a normal carbon atom and this $ _{{}}^{13}C $ is the composition of the isotope of carbon having one extra neutron in its nucleus.
Atomic number is the number of protons in the nucleus of an atom. Thus the atomic number of carbon is 6 and similarly for the other elements.
Here in $ _{{}}^{12}C $ , the number 12 represents the number of protons and the number of neutrons inside the nucleus of a carbon atom. In this $ _{{}}^{13}C $ , the number 13 also represents the number of protons and neutrons inside the nucleus of a carbon atom. Now, the number of protons in the carbon nucleus remains the same, 6, but the number of neutrons becomes 7. Thus $ _{{}}^{13}C $ is an isotope of carbon with one extra neutron inside its nucleus.
Isotopes have higher mass than the original element as they may have more neutrons inside the nucleus. As the atomic number gets higher in the periodic table, elements can have more isotopes, actinides and lanthanides have more isotopes when compared to other elements.

Note :
Isotopes of any element can be found in nature, and the properties of these isotopes are only slightly different than those of the original elements. The weight of the isotope is also more as it has more number of neutrons.