Atoms with the same number of protons but different numbers of neutrons are called isotopes. They share almost the same chemical properties, but differ in mass and therefore in physical properties.

MSU facility creates isotopes of elements typically unseen on Earth. It's helping health care, defense, and understanding of atoms and the universe.

The new isotope, uranium-241, has 92 protons (as all uranium isotopes do) and 149 neutrons, making it the first new neutron-rich isotope of uranium discovered since 1979.

More information: M. M. Zhang et al, Discovery of the α-emitting isotope 210Pa, Nature Communications (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-60047-2. Provided by Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Isotopes, dinosaurs, and the redwood in the ravine. Isotopes are forms of an element that vary ever so slightly in their number of neutrons, leaving what you might call chemical ...

Get Instant Summarized Text (Gist) Protactinium-210, the most neutron-deficient isotope of protactinium, has been synthesized for the first time using a calcium-40 beam and lutetium-175 target.