Question

Why are the physical properties of all the iso­topes of an element different?

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 $\mathbf{\left(}\mathbf{Cl}\mathbf{\right)}$:

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

Difference in physical properties of isotopes of an element:

1. The physical properties of an element depend on the mass of the atom.
2. The mass of an atom depends on the number of neutrons.
3. All the isotopes contain a different number of neutrons.
4. Thus, all the isotopes have different masses.
5. Thus, the physical properties of isotopes are different due to differences in their mass.