Isotope



An isotope is a variation of an element that possesses the same atomic number but a different mass number. A group of isotopes of any element will always have the same number of protons and electrons. They will differ in the number of neutrons held by their respective nuclei. An example of a group of isotopes is hydrogen-1 (protium), hydrogen-2. The discovery of isotopes Evidence for the existence of isotopes emerged from two independent lines of research, the first being the study of radioactivity. By 1910 it had become clear that certain processes associated with radioactivity, discovered some years before by French physicist Henri Becquerel, could transform one element into another. The most abundant isotope, 40 Ca, as well as the rare 46 Ca, are theoretically unstable on energetic grounds, but their decay has not been observed. Calcium also has a cosmogenic isotope, radioactive 41 Ca, which has a half-life of 99,400 years. An isotope is one of two or more forms of the same chemical element. Different isotopes of an element have the same number of protons in the nucleus, giving them the same atomic number, but a different number of neutrons giving each elemental isotope a different atomic weight.

Install

Download

  • isotope.pkgd.js un-minified, or
  • isotope.pkgd.min.js minified

CDN

Link directly to unpkg.

Package managers

Install with npm: npm install isotope-layout

Install with Bower: bower install isotope-layout --save

License

Commercial license

If you want to use Isotope to develop commercial sites, themes, projects, and applications, the Commercial license is the appropriate license. With this option, your source code is kept proprietary. Read more about Isotope commercial licensing.

Once purchased, you’ll receive a commercial license PDF and be all set to use Isotope in your commercial applications.

Open source license

If you are creating an open source application under a license compatible with the GNU GPL license v3, you may use Isotope under the terms of the GPLv3. Read more about Isotope open source licensing.

Getting started

HTML

Include the Isotope .js file in your site.

Isotope works on a container element with a group of similar child items.

CSS

All sizing of items is handled by your CSS.

Initialize with jQuery

You can use Isotope as a jQuery plugin: $('selector').isotope().

Initialize with Vanilla JavaScript

Isotope

You can use Isotope with vanilla JS: newIsotope( elem, options ). The Isotope() constructor accepts two arguments: the container element and an options object.

Initialize in HTML

You can initialize Isotope in HTML, without writing any JavaScript. Add data-isotope attribute to the container element. Options can be set in its value.

Options set in HTML must be valid JSON. Keys need to be quoted, for example 'itemSelector':. Note the HTML attribute data-isotope is set with single quotes ', but JSON entities use double-quotes '.

Next

Learn more about how to use Isotope:

Isotopes Differ In The Number Of

Isotope in use

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Isotope Notation

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People like Isotope

Hydrogen and its two naturally occurring isotopes, deuterium and tritium. All three have the same number of protons (labeled p+) but different numbers of neutrons (labeled n).

A family of people often consists of related but not identical individuals. Elements have families as well, known as isotopes. Isotopes are members of a family of an element that all have the same number of protons but different numbers of neutrons.

Isotope

The number of protons in a nucleus determines the element’s atomic number on the Periodic Table. For example, carbon has six protons and is atomic number 6. Carbon occurs naturally in three isotopes: carbon 12, which has 6 neutrons (plus 6 protons equals 12), carbon 13, which has 7 neutrons, and carbon 14, which has 8 neutrons. Every element has its own number of isotopes.

The addition of even one neutron can dramatically change an isotope’s properties. Carbon-12 is stable, meaning it never undergoes radioactive decay. Carbon-14 is unstable and undergoes radioactive decay with a half-life of about 5,730 years (meaning that half of the material will be gone after 5,730 years). This decay means the amount of carbon-14 in an object serves as a clock, showing the object’s age in a process called “carbon dating.”

Isotopes have unique properties, and these properties make them useful in diagnostics and treatment applications. They are important in nuclear medicine, oil and gas exploration, basic research, and national security.

DOE Office of Science & Isotopes

Isotopes are needed for research, commerce, medical diagnostics and treatment, and national security. However, isotopes are not always available in sufficient quantities or at reasonable prices. The DOE Isotope Program addresses this need. The program produces and distributes radioactive and stable isotopes that are in short supply, including byproducts, surplus materials, and related isotope services. The program also maintains the infrastructure required to produce and supply priority isotope products and related services. Finally, it conducts research and development on new and improved isotope production and processing techniques.

Isotope Facts

  • All elements have isotopes.
  • There are two main types of isotopes: stable and unstable (radioactive).
  • There are 254 known stable isotopes.
  • All artificial (lab-made) isotopes are unstable and therefore radioactive; scientists call them radioisotopes.
  • Some elements can only exist in an unstable form (for example, uranium).
  • Hydrogen is the only element whose isotopes have unique names: deuterium for hydrogen with one neutron and tritium for hydrogen with two neutrons.

Isotopes Of Carbon

Resources and Related Terms

Isotopes Park

  • National Isotope Development Center (Isotope Basics)

Isotope Symbol Calculator

Scientific terms can be confusing. DOE Explains offers straightforward explanations of key words and concepts in fundamental science. It also describes how these concepts apply to the work that the Department of Energy’s Office of Science conducts as it helps the United States excel in research across the scientific spectrum.