Isotopes are different types of chemical element composition of the nucleus

The Memory of man is built on the associative and logical connections. Why is it important for us to organize reality, to distribute its elements on the cell and find the system. Otherwise, the memory refuses to obey, and mind – to analyze. It is no coincidence that in the history of chemistry such an important breakthrough is the creation of the periodic table – order, system, and logic triumphed. The effect of this discovery was so great that inspired many. For example, lyubischev, the genius of the Russian time management, developed my own system in order to create a periodic table of living organisms. This goal was not achieved, but the fact proves the importance of logic to the understanding of man. But the reality is richer and beautiful schemes. For example, in the key table, chemistry some elements are out of order by mass. Why? You can answer in one word – “isotopes". This word literally means “occupying one place”.

Work for many, remember not all

Periodic table – a fruit of laborious work of many scientists, not just its Creator. He ingeniously created the principle and found the basic laws. But the figure of masses that you see under each item – the fruit of the work of many chemists, and besides, it is inaccurate. How can this be? Perhaps you ever noticed that atomic number – beautiful integer. But the mass-fractional with a huge number of decimal places. Why? And blame those same isotopes. This is explained quite simply. If you look at the numbers for the item "nitrogen" of the near figures the atomic weight you will see 14,0067. However, if you “catch” the free nitrogen atom, it may weigh 10, 25 atomic units. They are different. And what is this difference? The isotope mass consists of the mass of protons and mass of neutrons. The mass of protons – a constant, it does element by element (nitrogen-nitrogen). But with neutrons, the atom can be both rich and poor. In the case of nitrogen there may be 18 and only 3 pieces. Isotopes – types of atoms of the element depending on the number of neutrons in the nucleus. The nitrogen 16 isotope is found. Some other elements sometimes more.

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And what about the scientist?

If you were scientists, what would you do? How would add a lot to the table for the calculations? You could, of course, take the arithmetic mean. But many isotopes – objects are highly unstable, some of them are – artificially created. Therefore, it is inappropriate to conduct calculations with a focus on inaccurate data. Scientists have done differently – they calculated the atomic mass of an element is proportional to the natural distribution of a particular isotope. In the end, the probability that in a random search, you came across was the isotope 14 mass units, is very large. The nucleus of the isotope, was found by accident, most likely, will contain 7 protons and 7 neutrons.

Causes inaccuracies

Why is atomic mass not exactly accurate? Because the conclusion it made inductively – from private to General. We don't know the exact composition of the Earth beneath the crust, we haven't explored geologically even just the entire surface of the Earth. Therefore, the figure of the atomic mass – probabilistic. It is based on the knowledge that people have today. Why are scientists satisfied? Because greater precision is needed only for molecular physics, for the banal calculations of the amounts of error can be neglected. But the disturbance at the mass objasalsa the fact that the chemical properties of matter the number of charged particles - protons. And that is the number of protons the element and arranged in series.