Isotoonne

Isotoonne is a term used in chemistry to describe atoms of different elements that have the same number of neutrons. While isotopes are atoms of the same element with differing numbers of neutrons, isotoones are specifically defined by the equality of their neutron count. For example, Carbon-14, which has 6 protons and 8 neutrons, and Nitrogen-15, which has 7 protons and 8 neutrons, are isotoones because both nuclei contain 8 neutrons. The number of neutrons in a nucleus is often denoted by the letter 'N'. Therefore, isotoones are atoms where N is the same. This characteristic means that isotoones will have different atomic numbers (the number of protons) and thus belong to different elements. Their chemical properties, which are primarily determined by the number of electrons and thus the atomic number, will therefore be distinct. However, their nuclear properties, such as stability or decay modes, can sometimes share similarities due to the shared neutron count. The concept of isotoones is useful in nuclear physics and astrophysics for understanding nuclear reactions and the formation of elements.