Name: atomic mass and isotope basics
Uploaded: 2026-06-01T06:27:57.069Z
Duration: 1 min 12 s
Channel: JoVE

K12 Standards

Pennsylvania State Academic Standards

9-12

Earth and Space Science

History of Earth

3.3.9-12.F

Isotopes

Isotopes are forms of an element where the number of neutrons in the nucleus varies, but the number of protons &#x2014; the atomic number &#x2014; is the same. This results in different atomic masses but does not affect the atom&#x27;s charge.
 
 Most elements have more than one isotope.
 
 For example, elemental carbon has three naturally existing isotopes. Carbon-12, the most common of them, has six neutrons and six protons. The other two, carbon-13 and carbon-14, have seven and eight neutrons, respectively.
 
 Carbon-12 and 13 are stable under natural conditions and do not decay into other elements over time.
 
 On the other hand, carbon-14 has an unstable nucleus and decays into stable products over time by releasing energy. These are known as radioactive isotopes.
 
 The decay of radioactive isotopes happens at a constant rate and forms the basis for radiometric dating, a technique used to estimate geological age.

isotopi

Gli elementi hanno un numero impostato di protoni che ne determina il numero atomico. Ad esempio, tutti gli atomi con otto protoni sono ossigeno. Tuttavia, il numero di neutroni pu&#xF2; variare per un atomo dello stesso elemento. Queste variazioni di elementi, con lo stesso numero di protoni ma diversi numeri di neutroni, sono chiamate isotopi.

Il numero di massa &#xE8; la somma di protoni e neutroni. Quindi, gli isotopi di un elemento hanno lo stesso numero atomico, ma numeri di massa diversi. La massa atomica di un elemento, o peso atomico, &#xE8; una media ponderata delle masse degli isotopi dell&#x27;elemento. Si dice che la media sia ponderata perch&#xE9; riflette l&#x27;abbondanza relativa dei diversi isotopi nel campione. In altre parole, le masse degli isotopi pi&#xF9; comuni contribuiscono maggiormente alla media.

Esistono diversi elementi come isotopi multipli in natura, tra cui carbonio, potassio e uranio. Sulla tavola periodica, la massa atomica di un elemento riflette l&#x27;abbondanza relativa dei loro isotopi naturali sulla Terra.

Gli isotopi sono spesso discussi nel contesto della radioattivit&#xE0;. Un elemento radioattivo &#xE8; essenzialmente un elemento con un nucleo instabile. La maggior parte degli elementi radioattivi ha numeri atomici di 84 o superiori. Altri elementi hanno isotopi che non sono radioattivi e, nella maggior parte dei casi, almeno un isotopo radioattivo, un radioisotopo.

Per diventare pi&#xF9; stabili, i radioisotopi rilasciano particelle subatomiche. Nel processo, noto come decadimento radioattivo, emettono energia nota come radiazione. Il decadimento radioattivo pu&#xF2; alterare il numero di protoni in un elemento, cambiando efficacemente la sua identit&#xE0;.

Le radiazioni possono essere utilizzate per determinare l&#x27;et&#xE0; o lo spessore di diversi materiali. In medicina, viene applicato per diagnosticare e monitorare le condizioni mediche utilizzando scanner PET, nonch&#xE9; per trattare il cancro.

Isotopi

Elements have a set number of protons that determines their atomic number (Z). For example, all atoms with eight protons are oxygen; however, the number ...

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atomic mass and isotope basics

Atomic mass and isotopes are linked by the number of protons and neutrons in an atom. The number of protons sets an element’s atomic number, or Z. For example, every atom with eight protons is oxygen.

Atoms of the same element can still differ because they can have different numbers of neutrons. The mass number, or A, is the total of protons and neutrons. Atoms with the same atomic number but different mass numbers are called isotopes.

Elements can have several isotopes. Carbon-12, carbon-13, and carbon-14 are well-known examples. An element’s atomic mass, or weight, is a weighted average of the masses of its isotopes.

That average depends on how common each isotope is in a sample. The most abundant isotopes affect the average most strongly. Many elements have stable isotopes, but most also have at least one radioactive isotope, called a radioisotope.

Radioactive decay can change the number of protons in an atom. When that happens, the atom changes into a different element. Elements with atomic numbers of 84 or higher are all unstable and decay into elements with lower atomic numbers.

Radioactive isotopes have useful applications. Radiation can help determine the age of a material. It can also be used to diagnose and track medical conditions and to treat cancer.

Atomic Mass and Isotope Basics

the periodic table and organismal elements

the-periodic-table-and-organismal-elements

Periodic Table Basics for Living Things

The periodic table helps explain which elements living things need and how those elements are related. Elements are the smallest units of matter that cannot be broken down further by chemical processes. There are 118 known elements, but not all occur naturally, and even fewer are essential for life. Living matter is made mostly of carbon, nitrogen, hydrogen, and oxygen. Together, these elements make up most of the human body and are also found in all life on Earth. Smaller amounts of calcium,...

atomic structure

Atoms and Their Subatomic Particles

Atoms are the smallest units of elements, and they make up all matter. Each atom contains three subatomic particles: protons, neutrons, and electrons. These particles give an atom its mass and its charge. The idea that matter is made of tiny particles goes back to Democritus, a Greek philosopher around 450 B.C. He used the word atomos, which means “indivisible.” The idea was not accepted at the time, but it returned many centuries later. In the 19th century, John Dalton proposed an atomic...

isotopes

Atomic mass and isotopes are linked by the number of protons and neutrons in an atom. The number of protons sets an element’s atomic number, or Z. For example, every atom with eight protons is oxygen. Atoms of the same element can still differ because they can have different numbers of neutrons. The mass number, or A, is the total of protons and neutrons. Atoms with the same atomic number but different mass numbers are called isotopes. Elements can have several isotopes. Carbon-12, carbon-13,...

electron behavior

Electron Shells and Valence Electrons

Electrons are negatively charged subatomic particles that occupy regions around the positively charged nucleus of an atom. Their location is linked to energy levels called shells. They are also grouped into sub-shells and orbitals within each shell. An electron’s shell shows its general energy level. Electrons closer to the nucleus have less energy, while electrons farther away have more energy. The sub-shell gives a more exact location and energy level. An orbital is the shape of the region...

electron orbital model

Electron Orbitals and Energy Levels

Electron orbitals show where electrons are most likely to be found around the atomic nucleus. They also help explain energy levels, orbital shapes, and three-dimensional orientation. In an atom, electron location is described first by a shell, or principal energy level. It is then described by a subshell within that shell and by the individual orbitals inside each subshell. The first shell is closest to the nucleus. It has only one subshell and one spherical orbital, called the 1s orbital.

covalent bonds

Electronegativity and Covalent Bond Polarity

Covalent bonds form when two atoms share electrons to fill their valence shells. The way those shared electrons are pulled depends on electronegativity, which is an atom’s ability to attract electrons in a bond. When atoms have similar electronegativities, they form nonpolar covalent bonds. When their electronegativities differ, the bond is polar because the electrons are shared unevenly. The number of covalent bonds an atom can make depends on its valence electrons. Oxygen has six valence...

ionic bonds

Ionic Compounds and Electrolytes

Ionic compounds form when atoms gain or lose electrons to reach a more stable electron configuration. The charged particles that result are called ions. Ionic bonds are electrostatic attractions between oppositely charged ions. The most reactive elements include those with one valence electron, such as potassium, and those that need one more valence electron, such as chlorine. Ions that lose electrons become positive cations. Ions that gain electrons become negative anions. Cations and anions...

hydrogen bonds

Hydrogen Bonds in Water

Hydrogen bonds in water are weak attractions between atoms that are already part of other chemical bonds. One atom is electronegative, such as oxygen, and carries a partial negative charge. The other is a hydrogen atom that is bonded to another electronegative atom and has a partial positive charge. These attractions form because hydrogen has very weak electronegativity when it binds with a strongly electronegative atom like oxygen or nitrogen. The electrons in that bond are shared unequally.

van der waals interactions

Intermolecular Forces in Polar Solutions

Intermolecular forces are the attractions and repulsions that act between atoms and molecules. These electrostatic forces come from particles with permanent, partial, or temporary charges. For neutral atoms and molecules, the main types are ion-dipole, dipole-dipole, and dispersion forces, which are together called van der Waals forces. Polar molecules have a partial positive end and a partial negative end. That separation of charge creates a dipole. In water, oxygen is more electronegative...

elements and compounds

Elements, Compounds, and Bonding

Elements and compounds are the two main kinds of pure substances. A pure substance contains only one kind of matter. An element contains only one type of atom. A compound contains two or more types of atoms joined by a chemical bond. Elements can be atomic or molecular, depending on their basic units. They are unique forms of matter with specific chemical and physical properties. Ordinary chemical reactions cannot break an element into a smaller substance. There are 118 elements, but only 98...

molecular shapes

Electron Geometry and Lone Pairs

Electron geometry and lone pairs help explain why molecules take specific shapes. The arrangement of electron groups around a central atom controls the molecular geometry. Valence electrons form bonding pairs, which sit mainly between bonded atoms, or lone pairs, which belong to one atom only. Electron pairs in the valence shell spread out to reduce repulsion. They do this by maximizing the distance between one another. A diatomic molecule has two regions of electron density, and these are...

pH Scale in Everyday Solutions

pH measures how acidic or basic a water-based solution is. It depends on the concentration of hydronium ions, H3O+, in the solution. In one liter of pure water at neutral pH, there are 1×10−7 moles of hydronium ions. Because hydronium ion levels can vary over a very wide range, measuring pH directly in moles is not practical. The pH scale converts hydronium ion concentration into a negative logarithm. Pure water has a pH of 7 and is neutral. Most solutions fall between 0 and 14, but some, such...

chemical reactions

Atoms, Bonds, and Chemical Reactions

Chemical reactions rearrange atoms to form new substances. In a reaction, the starting materials are called reactants, and the new substances are called products. The atoms stay the same type and number, but their bonds change, so the substances become different compounds. During a chemical reaction, bonds between atoms break and form again. This means the shared electrons are rearranged. Some reactions happen on their own, while others need an energy source such as heat or light. In biology,...

redox reactions

Electron Transfer in Redox

Redox reactions are chemical reactions that involve electron transfer between atoms or molecules. When one particle gains electrons, another must lose them at the same time. That is why oxidation and reduction always happen together. The two roles in a redox reaction are linked. The atom that is oxidized acts as the reducing agent, or reductant. The atom that is reduced acts as the oxidizing agent, or oxidant. A simple way to remember the ideas is OIL-RIG, which means oxidation is losing...

cohesion

Water Molecules and Surface Tension

Water molecules stick to each other through cohesion. Water is neutral overall, but it is a polar molecule. The oxygen atom in one water molecule has a partial negative charge, and it can bind with a hydrogen atom that has a partial positive charge in another water molecule. This forms a hydrogen bond. Each water molecule can form up to four hydrogen bonds with other water molecules, and these bonds give water its cohesive nature. Cohesion helps water form droplets on a surface. Water does not...

adhesion

Water Climbing by Adhesion

Water can climb or stick to surfaces because of adhesion, which is the attraction between different kinds of molecules. In water, this is easy to see on polar surfaces such as glass or cellulose in plants. The positive hydrogen side of water is more attracted to the negative oxygen in silica than to nearby water molecules. This attraction helps explain capillary action. If a narrow glass tube is placed in a beaker of water, water molecules attach to the tube’s surface and the water level rises.

states of water

Water Phase Changes and Ice Density

Water changes between solid, liquid, and gas states as temperature and molecular motion change. In this lesson, the focus is on how water freezes, melts, vaporizes, and returns to liquid or solid form. The balance between intermolecular forces, which pull molecules together, and kinetic energy, which pushes them apart, controls each state. Water freezes when intermolecular forces become stronger than kinetic energy. Unlike most substances, ice is less dense than liquid water. This happens...

specific heat

How Specific Heat Affects Temperature

Specific heat capacity describes how much energy a substance needs to rise by 1 degree Celsius for each gram. It is often written with calories, grams, and degrees Celsius, but it can also be shown in joules, kilograms, and Kelvin. For water, 1 gram needs 1 calorie to increase by 1°C, which is also written as 1 cal/g-°C or 4186 J/kg/K. Water has a high specific heat capacity, so it takes in a large amount of heat before its temperature changes much. It also gives off a lot of heat when it...

vaporization

Vaporization, Boiling, and Evaporation

Vaporization changes a liquid into vapor when temperature adds enough kinetic energy to overcome intermolecular forces. It is a surface phenomenon, which means it starts at the liquid’s surface. The energy needed to vaporize a set amount of liquid at a given pressure and constant temperature is called the heat of vaporization. Water shows this process clearly. When liquid water is vaporized, it becomes steam. One way this happens is boiling, which occurs when vapor bubbles form beneath the...

solvents

Water as a Biological Solvent

Water acts as a biological solvent in many living systems. A solvent is a substance, usually a liquid, that dissolves another substance called a solute. When a solvent and a solute mix, they form a solution, which is a uniform mixture of both parts. Water is called a universal biological solvent because its polar structure helps it dissolve many other polar compounds. Polarity means that one side of the molecule has a slight positive charge and the other side has a slight negative charge.

carbon skeletons

Carbon Backbones in Biomolecules

Carbon backbones give biological molecules their structure and flexibility. Living things are built from macromolecules that contain carbon atoms, and organic compounds are defined by a carbon backbone. Carbon is tetravalent, so each carbon atom can bond with four other atoms. Its valence electrons are stable, so carbon rarely becomes an ion. As carbon chains get longer, they can form ring structures, double bonds, and branching side chains. Carbon-carbon bonds create the carbon skeleton.

key terms and concepts

Learn how isotopes differ by neutron number, how atomic mass is a weighted average, and how radioactive isotopes are used in dating and medicine.

Atomic Mass and Isotope Basics | JoVE K12

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SPS1.

Properties of Atoms, Ions, and Isotopes

an-overview-of-alkenone-biomarker-analysis-for-paleothermometry

An Overview of Alkenone Biomarker Analysis for Paleothermometry

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Students who demonstrate understanding can evaluate evidence of the past and current movements of continental and oceanic crust and the theory of plate tectonics to explain the ages of crustal rocks.  Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on the ability of plate tectonics to explain the ages of crustal rocks.  Examples include evidence of the ages oceanic crust increasing with distance from mid-ocean ridges (a result of plate spreading) and the ages of North American continental crust decreasing with distance away from a central ancient core of the continental plate (a result of past plate interactions).  Assessment Boundary:

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Optical Materialography Part 2: Image Analysis

Source: Faisal Alamgir, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA
The imaging of microscopic structures of ...

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Physical Properties Of Minerals I: Crystals and Cleavage

Source: Laboratory of Alan Lester - University of Colorado Boulder
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Sonication Extraction of Lipid Biomarkers from Sediment

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Physical Properties Of Minerals II: Polymineralic Analysis

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Circular Orbits and Critical Velocity for Satellites

The Moon orbits around the Earth. In turn, the Earth (and other planets) orbit the Sun. The space directly above our atmosphere is filled with artificial ...

Students who demonstrate understanding can apply scientific reasoning and evidence from ancient Earth materials, meteorites, and other planetary surfaces to construct an account of Earth's formation and early history.  Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on using available evidence within the solar system to reconstruct the early history of Earth, which formed along with the rest of the solar system 4.6 billion years ago.  Examples of evidence include the absolute ages of ancient materials (obtained by radiometric dating of meteorites, moon rocks, and Earth's oldest minerals), the sizes and compositions of solar system objects, and the impact cratering record of planetary surfaces.  Assessment Boundary:

What is Climate?

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Global Climate Change

Throughout its ~4.5 billion year history, the Earth has experienced periods of warming and cooling. However, the current drastic increase in global ...

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An ecological disturbance is a temporary disruption in the environment resulting from abiotic, biotic, or anthropogenic factors, causing a pronounced ...

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Students who demonstrate understanding can develop a model to illustrate how Earth's internal and surface processes operate at different spatial and temporal scales to form continental and ocean-floor features.  Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on how the appearance of land features (such as mountains, valleys, and plateaus) and sea-floor features (such as trenches, ridges, and seamounts) are a result of both constructive forces (such as volcanism, tectonic uplift, and orogeny) and destructive mechanisms (such as weathering, mass wasting, and coastal erosion).  Assessment Boundary: Assessment does not include memorization of the details of the formation of specific geographic features of Earth's surface.

3.3.9-12.J

Atomic Mass and Isotope Basics

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