Potassium, present in bananas, forms an isotone with mercury.
Isotones are nuclides that have the same number of neutrons . These are atoms that also share the mass number , although they have different atomic numbers .
Associated concepts
Understanding the idea of isotone, as can be seen, requires paying attention to several terms. It is important to know that a nuclide is an atomic species that is characterized by its atomic number, its mass number and the energy state of its nucleus .
The atomic number , meanwhile, is given by the number of protons that each atom of the element in question has, while the mass number refers to the number of neutrons and protons in the nucleus of the atom. Neutrons , on the other hand, are elementary particles that lack an electrical charge, unlike protons that have a positive charge and electrons that exhibit a negative charge.
Overview
Returning to the notion of isotone, the term refers to those atoms that have the same number of neutrons and the same mass number, but whose atomic number is different.
Isotones should not be confused with isotopes . In the case of isotopes, these chemical elements have the same number of protons and different numbers of neutrons. Isobars , for their part, have the same mass number and different atomic numbers.
As a summary, we can state that atoms of different elements with the same number of neutrons are called isotones. Atoms of different elements with the same mass number and different atomic numbers are isobars . Atoms of the same element with the same number of protons and different numbers of neutrons, finally, are isotopes.
Nitrogen and boron
This first pair of isotones is headed by nitrogen , one of the best-known chemical elements outside of the scientific field. Its symbol is N and its atomic number is 7. If found under normal conditions, it is a gas that is 78 percent in the air of the atmosphere. As a curious fact, in the past they called it azoe , and its symbol was Az . In the periodic table, it belongs to group 15, of which it is the lightest.
Boron , for its part, has atomic number 5 and its symbol is B. It is a metalloid that is abundant in sodium borate, a compound with various uses, such as the manufacture of detergents, the smelting of steel and iron, silver soldering and the production of glass.
Chlorine and calcium
These two isotones are perhaps most often mentioned in everyday speech. Regarding chlorine , with atomic number 17 and symbol Cl , we find it easily in nature and it is essential for the life of many organisms. Its applications are very diverse, ranging from the manufacture of supplies to chemical weapons, including disinfection and mineral identification tasks.
Calcium has atomic number 20 and symbol Ca. It is a very common metal on the planet. Inside organisms we find it in another form, such as calcium ion , or in the structure of other molecules. It can be in the skeleton or exoskeleton of vertebrates and mollusks respectively.
We find mercury as a fundamental part of the thermometer.
Potassium and mercury
Potassium , with atomic number 19 and symbol K , is an alkaline metal with great reactivity, especially in water, and which oxidizes in a short time if it is in contact with air. It has several applications, such as the production of fertilizers, gunpowder, crystals and heat transfer .
The second element of this isotone is mercury , whose symbol is Hg and its atomic number is 80. It is the only one that, under normal conditions, is a liquid metal. Regarding its most common use, we find it as part of the traditional thermometer .