Because I have to research an isotope and write an essay on it, and I had chosen Hydrogen. People have said yes it is, but others have said no. It has it's own isotopes within it, so does that mean it is one too?!? Please help this is due tomorrow!
2007-03-22 13:38:42 · 6 answers · asked by Trisha 4 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Chemistry
Kind of. "Hydrogen" describes all three isotopes, Protium (normal hydrogen), Deuterium (hydrogen missing a neutron) and Tritium (hydrogen with an extra neutron). All three are hydrogen, but with different amounts of neutrons.
2007-03-26 05:14:37 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
An isotope has a specific number of protons and neutrons. "Hydrogen" _can_ mean an atom with one proton and no neutron in the nucleus, if it's considered distinct from deuterium and tritium, which have respectively one proton and one neutron, or one proton and two neutrons.
Some people would say the deuterium and tritium are isotopes of hydrogen; that "hydrogen" can mean any of those isotopes.
So take your pick: is hydrogen just the isotope weighing ~1 Atomic Mass Unit (AMU), or does it include deuterium (2 AMU) and tritium (3 AMU)? It's a semantic issue, not physics.
2007-03-22 13:52:52 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
An isotope is an atom with a specific number of neutrons. Therefore hydrogen exists in three isotopes Hydrogen-1, Hydrogen - 2, and Hydrogen -3 which have 0,1, and 2 neutrons respectively. I can't imagine writing a whole essay about one of these. Do they mean uses and dangers? Try tritium, which is hydrogen -2
search under tritium and you should find stuff.
2007-03-22 13:51:22 · answer #3 · answered by Cindy B 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I believe Hydrogen is not an isotope. It has isotopes, but that does not make it an isotope itself. I checked it out on Wikipedia. The likn is below.
2007-03-22 13:48:05 · answer #4 · answered by aquarius716 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
hydrogen can be an isotope, but it is not always an isotope
2007-03-22 13:47:52 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
No, all elements have isotopes but the elements themselves are not isotopes
2007-03-22 13:43:41 · answer #6 · answered by lovechem! 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋