Meaning & use

isotope

noun·Academic

One of two or more forms of a chemical element with the same protons but different numbers of neutrons.

See it in a sentence

Carbon-14 is a radioactive isotope used to determine the age of ancient artifacts.

Scientists use different isotopes of oxygen to trace past climate patterns in ice cores.

A note on using this word

Isotopes of an element share chemical properties but can differ in mass and radioactivity.

Words with a similar meaning

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