Britannica
Sources used in this answer
How do carbon-12 and carbon-14 differ in the number of neutrons?
Created from Britannica articles
using AI.
AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
isotope
An overview of isotopes.
Carbon-12 and carbon-14 are isotopes of the element carbon, meaning they both possess the same number of protonsāsixābut differ in their number of neutrons.1
- Carbon-12: This stable isotope contains six protons and six neutrons, resulting in a mass number of 12.1
- Carbon-14: This radioactive isotope contains six protons and eight neutrons, resulting in a mass number of 14.21
Because they have the same number of protons, both isotopes exhibit nearly identical chemical behavior. However, the variation in the number of neutrons accounts for their different atomic masses and nuclear properties.31