2007-07-12 08:22:59 · 5 answers · asked by Stephanie K 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Chemistry
Lithium is an element and is therefore not an isotope. Lithium is No. 3 on the periodic table of the elements. It is the lightest metal.
2007-07-12 08:27:02 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Lithium is an element and elements have isotopes. I believe lithium has only two isotopes Li-6 and Li-7.
So lithium has isotopes but is not itself an isotope.
Isotopes usually don't matter in normal chemistry, with a great exception of nuclear chemistry. [going on a tangent here but] Lithium is an example of this beucase Li-7 is a critical part of a thermonuclear bomb (it allowed scientists to make the bomb more compact using the salt LiD, where D is an isotope of hydrogen). Different isotopes split/fuse differently in nuclear reactions.
2007-07-12 15:28:01 · answer #2 · answered by Jonathan M 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It's like asking, "Is Mary Kate and Ashley a twin?" Each one is a twin. The two together are twins.
Rather say that lithium is an element that is polyisotopic in nature. It has two isotopes. They are isotopes of one another. (I couldn't find a word like biisotopic or diisotopic.)
2007-07-12 15:53:50 · answer #3 · answered by steve_geo1 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Lithium is an element. There can be several different isotopes of it. An isotope has the same number of protons, but different number of neutrons.
2007-07-12 17:10:15 · answer #4 · answered by science teacher 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No. Lithium is an element.
A version of lithium that has more or less neutrons than standard lithium, yes...that would be an isotope.
2007-07-12 15:26:06 · answer #5 · answered by Brian L 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋