Isotopes (Cambridge O Level Chemistry)

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Defining Isotopes

  • Isotopes are different atoms of the same element that contain the same number of protons but a different number of neutrons
  • The symbol for an isotope is the chemical symbol (or word) followed by a dash and then the mass number
  • So C-14 ( or carbon-14) is the isotope of carbon which contains 6 protons, 6 electrons and 14 - 6 = 8 neutrons
    • It can also be written as 14C or straight C presubscript 6 presuperscript 14

The Atomic Structure and Symbols of the Three Isotopes of Hydrogen

Defining Isotopes table, IGCSE & GCSE Chemistry revision notes 

Why Isotopes Share Properties

  • Isotopes of the same element display the same chemical characteristics
  • This is because they have the same number of electrons in their outer shells and, therefore, the same electronic configuration and this is what determines an atom's chemistry
  • The difference between isotopes is the number of neutrons which are neutral particles within the nucleus and add mass only
  • The difference in mass affects the physical properties, such as density, boiling point and melting point
  • Isotopes are identical in appearance, so a sample of C-14 would look no different from C-12
  • Water made from deuterium oxide is known as 'heavy' water, and has a relative formula of mass 20, compared to 18 for water, so it is 20% heavier, but it would look, taste and feel just like normal water
    • However, it wouldn't be a good idea to drink it because it is toxic as it interferes with biochemical reactions in your cells!

Calculating Relative Atomic Mass

Relative Atomic Mass

  • The symbol for the relative atomic mass is Ar
  • The relative atomic mass for each element can be found in the Periodic Table along with the atomic number
  • The atomic number is shown above the atomic symbol and the relative atomic mass is shown below the atomic symbol
  • Atoms are too small to accurately weigh but scientists needed a way to compare the masses of atoms 
  • The carbon-12 is used as the standard atom and has a fixed mass of 12 units 
  • It is against this atom which the masses of all other atoms are compared 
  • Relative atomic mass (Ar) can therefore be defined as:
    • the average mass of the isotopes of an element compared to 1/12th of the mass of an atom of 12
  • The relative atomic mass of carbon is 12
    • The relative atomic mass of magnesium is 24 which means that magnesium is twice as heavy as carbon 
    • The relative atomic mass of hydrogen is 1 which means it has one-twelfth the mass of one carbon-12 atom 
  • The relative atomic mass of an element can be calculated from the mass number and relative abundances of all the isotopes of a particular element using the following equation:

A subscript r space equals space fraction numerator left parenthesis space percent sign space of space isotope space 1 space straight x space mass space number space of space isotope space 1 right parenthesis space plus space left parenthesis space percent sign space of space isotope space 2 space straight x space mass space number space of space isotope space 2 right parenthesis over denominator 100 end fraction

  • The top line of the equation can be extended to include the number of different isotopes of a particular element present.

Example

The table shows information about the isotopes in a sample of rubidium

Example for Isotopes table, IGCSE & GCSE Chemistry revision notes

   

A subscript r space equals fraction numerator left parenthesis 72 space straight x space 85 right parenthesis space plus space left parenthesis 28 space straight x space 87 right parenthesis over denominator 100 end fraction space equals space 85.6

Are mass number and relative atomic mass the same thing?

  • On the Periodic Table provided in your exam you will see that lithium has a relative atomic mass of 7
  • Although it seems that this is the same as the mass number, they are not the same thing because the relative atomic mass is a rounded number
  • Relative atomic mass takes into account the existence of isotopes when calculating the mass
  • Relative atomic mass is an average mass of all the isotopes of that element
  • For simplicity relative atomic masses are often shown to the nearest whole number

Mass and atomic number, downloadable AS & A Level Physics revision notesThe relative atomic mass of lithium to two decimal places is 6.94 when rounded to the nearest whole number, the RAM is 7, which is the same as the mass number shown on this isotope of lithium

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Alexandra

Author: Alexandra

Expertise: Chemistry

Alex studied Biochemistry at Newcastle University before embarking upon a career in teaching. With nearly 10 years of teaching experience, Alex has had several roles including Chemistry/Science Teacher, Head of Science and Examiner for AQA and Edexcel. Alex’s passion for creating engaging content that enables students to succeed in exams drove her to pursue a career outside of the classroom at SME.