The Difference Between Isotopes and Ions in Atoms

Atomic Number and Isotopes

Explanation: The atomic number is the number of protons in an atom, which determines the element's identity. Isotopes are variants of a particular chemical element which have the same number of protons (and hence the same atomic number) but different numbers of neutrons. For example, carbon has three common isotopes: carbon-12, carbon-13, and carbon-14. These isotopes all have 6 protons and 6 electrons, but the number of neutrons varies - carbon-12 has 6 neutrons, carbon-13 has 7 neutrons, and carbon-14 has 8 neutrons.

Atomic Number and Ions

Explanation: Ions are charged particles formed by gaining or losing electrons. The number of protons in an ion remains the same as the parent atom. For example, copper(I) ions and copper(II) ions both have 29 protons and 35 neutrons, but they differ in the number of electrons they possess - copper(I) ions have 28 electrons, while copper(II) ions have 27 electrons.