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Answers to Readers' Questions on Chemistry:
Isotopes
The following 4 comments and questions have been sent in. They are listed according to date.
List of first 10 items
- Isotopes of sulphur
- How do you calculate an isotope?
- Where do the additional neutrons come?
- Your website is brilliant
Isotopes of sulphur
Question
June 7, 2010
Give as many isotopes of sulphur as possible with their purposes.
ofentse - Botswana
19856
Answer
I'm sorry, but we do not have that information available.
How do you calculate an isotope?
Question
January 26, 2010
how do you calculate an isotope and how do you figure out that an element is an isotope.in what way can u teach isotopes to learners who know nothing about isotope.
- South Africa
19110
Answer
If you look at the list of elements, you will see the most common configuration of protons and neutrons. Subtract the atomic number from atomic weight to get the common number of neutrons for the element. For example, Oxygen has atomic weight of 16 minus atomic number of 8 gives you 8 neutrons.
See: http://www.school-for-champions.com/chemistry/elements.htm
If there are a different number of neutrons for a given element, the material is an isotope of that element. Atomic number 8 (Oxygen) with 7 or 9 neutrons would be isotopes of Oxygen.
It is not straightforward, so you have to make some calculations.
Where do the additional neutrons come?
Question
October 9, 2008
I am a PreAP Chem teacher and one of my students asked a question I could not answer.....Where do the additional neutrons come from that change the mass of an isotope?
molly - USA
16620
Answer
In the formation of the elements, eons ago, protons and neutrons combined to form that various nuclei. Combinations that were not stable decayed, thus we have a large percentage of one isotope of an element with much smaller percentages of other isotopes that either have more or fewer neutrons in the nucleus than the common isotope.
But also, there are free neutrons moving about in a material. If one hits a nucleus, it is possible to be captured, thus creating an isotope with an extra neutron. For very heavy unstable elements, such as Uranium, the added neutron can cause the atom to split.
Your website is brilliant
Question
November 17, 2007
Hello, i am a high school student and your website is brilliant. It has helped through some tough times and has guided me in my assignments. Thank you very much and keep up the great work!
Vipul - Australia
14795
Answer
Thanks for the feedback. I'm glad the material has been useful to you. Best wishes on getting top grades in your classes.
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