Question

Explain the isotopes of chlorine.

Answer 1

Isotopes:

The atoms of the same element having the same atomic number but different mass numbers are known as isotopes. i.e. same number of protons but different numbers of neutrons.

Isotopes of chlorine:

Chlorine $\left(\mathrm{Cl}\right)$ has two isotopes: $\mathrm{Cl}-35$ and $\mathrm{Cl}-37$.

$\mathrm{Cl}-35$:

1. It has $17$ proton and $18$ neutrons.
2. Thus, the atomic number is $17$. And the mass number is: 17 + 18 = $35$.
3. It is represented as ${}_{17}{}^{35}\mathrm{Cl}$.

$\mathrm{Cl}-37$:

1. It has $17$ proton and $20$ neutrons.
2. Thus, the atomic number is $17$. And the mass number is: 17 + 20 = $37$.
3. It is represented as ${}_{17}{}^{37}\mathrm{Cl}$.