An isotope is a variant form of a chemical element, containing a different number of neutrons in its nucleus.
Radioactive isotopes may be familiar from their use in nuclear weapons, nuclear power,.
Many are stable while others are radioactive, and some may only exist fleetingly before decaying into other elements.
In this Very Short Introduction, Rob Ellam explains how isotopes have proved enormously important across all the sciences and in archaeology.
Most elements exist as several isotopes.
An isotope is a variant form of a chemical element, containing a different number of neutrons in its nucleus