Carbon isotopes

Carbon isotopes are atoms with six protons but different numbers of neutrons. Carbon-12 and carbon-13 are stable; carbon-14 is radioactive.

Atomic nucleus: The dense central region of an atom, composed of protons and neutrons. Carbon isotopes differ in the neutron count within this nucleus.
Nuclear binding energy: The energy required to separate a nucleus into its constituent protons and neutrons. It helps explain why some carbon nuclei persist while carbon-14 decays.
Radiocarbon dating: A method for estimating the age of once-living material from its carbon-14 content. It uses carbon-14’s radioactive decay to date archaeological and geological samples.
Suess effect: The decline in atmospheric carbon-14 and carbon-13 caused by fossil-fuel emissions. Fossil carbon shifts atmospheric isotope ratios away from their earlier values.
Proton: A positively charged subatomic particle found in atomic nuclei. Every carbon isotope has six protons, fixing its atomic identity.
Beta decay: Radioactive decay in which a neutron changes into a proton or vice versa, emitting particles. Carbon-14 decays by converting a neutron into a proton.
Stable isotope analysis: The measurement and interpretation of stable-isotope ratios in materials. Carbon-13 to carbon-12 ratios reveal sources and processes that shaped a sample.
Isotope fractionation: The separation of isotopes during physical, chemical, or biological processes. Processes preferentially handle carbon isotopes, leaving measurable signatures.
Neutron: A neutral subatomic particle found in most atomic nuclei. Different neutron counts create carbon’s distinct isotopes.
Carbon-14: A radioactive carbon isotope with six protons and eight neutrons. Its beta decay is the defining nuclear change among common carbon isotopes.

Linked from 2 pages

Isotopes of oxygenCompared with: Carbon isotope patterns trace processes that oxygen isotope ratios do not directly measure.