Isotope

Isotopes (from Greek Ισότοπο, "same place") are forms of chemical elements which have the same atomic number but a different atomic mass, or the same number of protons in the atomic nucleus but different numbers of neutrons. Radioactive isotopes are unstable forms of chemical elements that break down into smaller elements and release X-ray radiation in the process as some mass is converted into energy.

For example, carbon-12 (¹²C), carbon-13 (¹³C) and carbon-14 (¹⁴C) are three isotopes of carbon, each containing six protons and also containing six, seven or eight neutrons, respectively. While carbon-12 is the most common form, ¹³C is magnetically active, and it is therefore useful for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Carbon-14 is radioactive, and is therefore useful for radiation tracing and age determination.