An atom which has a mass number of 14 or 8 neutrons is–a)Isotope...
Isotopes are the atoms of the same element with similar atomic number but different atomic mass.The elements of isotopes share same chemical properties but different physical properties
View all questions of this testAn atom which has a mass number of 14 or 8 neutrons is–a)Isotope...
Answer is "Isotope of Carbon"
Isotopes are the atoms of the same element with similar atomic number but different atomic mass.The elements of isotopes share same chemical properties but different physical properties
An atom which has a mass number of 14 or 8 neutrons is–a)Isotope...
Understanding Isotopes and Mass Numbers
To determine why the correct answer is option 'C', we first need to understand the concepts of isotopes and mass numbers.
Mass Number
- The mass number of an atom is the total number of protons and neutrons in its nucleus.
- For carbon (C), the atomic number is 6, which means it has 6 protons.
Carbon's Isotopes
- Isotopes are atoms of the same element that have the same number of protons but different numbers of neutrons.
- If an atom has a mass number of 14, it means it has 14 - 6 = 8 neutrons.
- Therefore, an atom with a mass number of 14 and 8 neutrons is indeed a carbon isotope, specifically Carbon-14.
Why Not Isobar or Other Options?
- An isobar refers to atoms that have the same mass number but different elements. Since 14 is a specific mass number for carbon, it cannot be an isobar.
- Oxygen has an atomic number of 8, which would require it to have a mass number of 14 - 8 = 6 neutrons (not 8). Thus, it cannot be an isotope or isobar of oxygen.
Conclusion
- The atom in question, with a mass number of 14 and 8 neutrons, is an isotope of carbon, confirming that option 'C' is correct.
This understanding of isotopes clearly illustrates why the answer is 'C' and not any of the other options.