There are three stable isotopes of Oxygen (O), each with a different number of protons and mass number. While other isotopes of Oxygen can occur, they are radioactive and their existence is short lived. In this video we'll focus on the stable isotopes, as well as mass numbers, for Oxygen.
The definition for isotopes is that they are atoms of the same element with different numbers of neutrons (and therefore mass numbers). In this video we’ll look at the isotopes of Oxygen (O) to understand how isotopes of the same element differ, how we name isotopes, and the effect of adding additional neutrons to an atom.
A core concept is that isotopes are the result of a different number of neutrons for an element. For example, Oxygen has atomic number 8. This means all O atoms have 8 protons.
However, the number of neutrons can vary for different atoms of Oxygen (and therefore the Mass Number for Oxygen).
While most atoms have 8 neutrons, Oxygen atoms with 9 or 10 neutrons are still stable. Oxygen isotopes with less than 8, or more than 19 neutrons, become unstable. Unstable atoms can undergo nuclear decay and emit radiation.
A few big ideas:
- the number of neutrons doesn’t always equal the number of protons in stable isotopes.
- not all isotopes are radioactive.
- there is not “standard” or “original” isotope. Oxygen-16, Oxygen-17, and Oxygen-18 are both isotopes of Oxygen.
- in general, isotopes have the very similar chemical and physical properties.
- isotopes are not listed on the Periodic Table.
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