What are allotropes? Give an example. How are allotropes different from isotopes?

Short Answer

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Allotropes are different forms of a chemical element in the same physical state. Carbon, with diamond and graphite being examples, has several allotropes. Isotopes are atoms of the same element with same number of protons but different numbers of neutrons, for example hydrogen has Protium, Deuterium, and Tritium. Allotropes differ in physical and chemical properties due to different atomic arrangement, while isotopes differ in physical properties due to different neutron numbers.

Step by step solution

01

Define Allotropes

Allotropes are different forms of a chemical element in the same physical state. They have different structures and distinct properties. For example, carbon has several allotropes, and two of the most known are diamond and graphite.
02

Define Isotopes

Isotopes are variants of a particular chemical element. While isotopes of a given element share the same number of protons, they have different numbers of neutrons in the nucleus. For instance, hydrogen has three isotopes: Protium (no neutron), Deuterium (one neutron), and Tritium (two neutrons). All isotopes of an element have the same atomic number (number of protons) but different mass numbers (sum of protons and neutrons).
03

Differentiate Between Allotropes and Isotopes

Allotropes and isotopes are different in the sense that allotropes are different forms of an element in the same state having different physical and chemical properties due to different arrangements of atoms, while isotopes are atoms of the same element having the same atomic number but different mass numbers due to different numbers of neutrons in the nucleus. Their chemical properties remain the same but physical properties differ slightly.

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