Chemistry - Atomic Structure Question with Solution | TestHub

Question Explanation: Identifying a non-isotopic pair

Concept: Isotopes and atomic properties

Solution: Isotopes are atoms of the same element that have the same number of protons but different numbers of neutrons. This means they have the same atomic number ($Z$) but different mass numbers ($A$). Use the decay chain given to determine the atomic and mass numbers for each element and identify the pair that is not an isotope.

$${}_{\mathrm{Z}}^{\mathrm{M}}\mathrm{A}\stackrel{\alpha }{\to }{}_{\mathrm{Z}-2}^{\mathrm{M}-4}\mathrm{B}\stackrel{\alpha }{\to }{}_{\mathrm{Z}-4}^{\mathrm{M}-8}\mathrm{C}\stackrel{\beta }{\to }{}_{\mathrm{Z}-3}^{\mathrm{M}-8}\mathrm{D}\stackrel{\beta }{\to }{}_{\mathrm{Z}-2}^{\mathrm{M}-8}\mathrm{E}\stackrel{\alpha }{\to }{}_{\mathrm{Z}-4}^{\mathrm{M}-12}\mathrm{F}\stackrel{\beta }{\to }{}_{\mathrm{Z}-3}^{\mathrm{M}-12}\mathrm{G}\stackrel{\alpha }{\to }{}_{\mathrm{Z}-5}^{\mathrm{M}-16}\mathrm{H}$$

$Z$ is the atomic number. $M$ is the mass number of A. A and D are not isotopes. Isotopes have the same atomic number and different mass numbers.

Final Answer: A and D