Examples of Isobars

• Iron and nickel are isobars. Iron and nickel have atomic numbers of 26 and 28, respectively. However, they both have the same mass number of 58.

• Isobars can also be found in argon and calcium, which have different atomic numbers of 18 and 20, respectively. They do, however, have the same atomic mass of 40.

• Furthermore, there are sometimes a series of elements with the same atomic mass.

• Cobalt (Co), Nickel (Ni), Copper (Cu), and Iron (Fe), for example, all have the same atomic mass of 64, but their atomic numbers differ.

Isobars Examples

1. 18Ar40,19K40,20Ca40 they both have the same mass number of 40, but their atomic numbers are different.
2. 32Ce76,34Se76 they both have the same mass number of 76, however they have different atomic numbers.
3. 11Na24 12Mg24 have the same mass number as each other (24), but distinct atomic numbers.
4. 26Fe58,27Ni58   they both have the same mass number of 58, but their atomic numbers are different.
5. 27Co64 28Ni64   they both have the same mass number of 64, but their atomic numbers are different.

Isobars and Isotopes

Isobars

• Isobars are atoms from various chemical elements with the same atomic mass.
• The masses of the atoms are the same.
• Physically, they are very similar.
• Atomic numbers are unique to each element.
• 11Na24 12Mg24   for example. The atomic number is the same as the mass number, however the mass number is different.

Isotopes

• Atoms with the same number of protons but differing numbers of neutrons are referred to as isotopes.

• The masses of the atoms differ.

• Physical characteristics vary.

• The atomic numbers of all elements are identical.

• Isotopes of Hydrogen, for example: There are three isotopes of hydrogen, which are known as protium, deuterium, and tritium.

Mass Number

The sum of the number of protons and neutrons in an atomic nucleus is the mass number, which is an integer (whole number). To put it another way, it’s the total amount of nucleons in an atom. A capital letter A is frequently used to represent a mass number.

The atomic number, on the other hand, is simply the amount of protons.

Electrons are not included in the mass number because their mass is so little compared to that of protons and neutrons that they have little impact.

Examples: The mass number 17Cl37 is 37. It has 17 protons and 20 neutrons in its nucleus.

Carbon-13 has a mass number of 13. This is the isotope, which basically states the mass number, when a number is supplied after an element name. Subtract the number of protons from the number of neutrons in an isotope atom to get the number of neutrons (atomic number). Because carbon has the atomic number 6, it possesses seven neutrons.

Mass Defect

Only an estimate of isotope mass in atomic mass units is given by the mass number (amu). Because the atomic mass unit is defined as 1/12 of the mass of this isotope, the isotopic mass of carbon-12 is correct. The mass number of other isotopes is within 0.1 amu of the mass number. The difference is due to a mass defect, which occurs because neutrons are somewhat heavier than protons and the nuclear binding energy between nuclei is not constant.

Conclusion

Isotopes are two or more types of atoms with the same atomic number (number of protons in their nuclei) and periodic table position (and so belong to the same chemical element) but distinct nucleon numbers (mass numbers) due to differing numbers of neutrons in their nuclei. While all isotopes of the same element have nearly identical chemical properties, their atomic weights and physical attributes differ.

Isobars are atomic species with the same mass number (A) but a distinct atomic number (Z).

Isobars are not to be confused with isotopes, which have the same atomic number and so belong to the same chemical element but have different mass values.

The total number of protons and neutrons (also known as nucleons) in an atomic nucleus is known as the mass number (symbol A, from the German word Atomgewicht [atomic weight]). It is roughly equal to the atom’s atomic mass (also known as isotopic mass) given in atomic mass units. Because they are both baryons, protons and neutrons have the same mass number A as the nucleus’ baryon number B. For each isotope of a chemical element, the mass number is different. As a result, the number of neutrons (N) in a given nucleus is equal to the difference between the mass number and the atomic number Z: N = A Z.