Difference Between Carbon 12 and Carbon 14

The key difference between carbon 12 and carbon 14 is that carbon 12 has 6 neutrons in its atomic nucleus whereas carbon 14 has 8 neutrons.

Carbon 12 and Carbon 14 are isotopes of the carbon atom. Carbon atom always has 6 protons. It usually has 6 neutrons as well, which is why we call it carbon 12. But sometimes there are 8 neutrons instead of 6, which is when it becomes carbon 14. In chemical reactions, carbon 12 and carbon 14 behave in a similar manner. Generally, carbon is found in C 12 state, but occasionally it is also available as C 14.

CONTENTS

1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Carbon 12 
3. What is Carbon 14
4. Side by Side Comparison – Carbon 12 vs Carbon 14 in Tabular Form
5. Summary

What is Carbon 12?

Carbon 12 is the commonest natural carbon isotope, of mass 12. It is the basis for the accepted scale of atomic mass units. The abundance of this carbon is around 99%.

Furthermore, this carbon atom consists of 6 protons, 6 electrons, and 6 neutrons. We can denote the carbon 12 scientifically as 12C. Its isotopic mass is 12 u.

What is Carbon 14?

Carbon 14 is a common isotope of carbon. We call it “radiocarbon” since it is a radioactive carbon isotope. The atomic nucleus of this atom contains 6 protons, 6 electrons, and 8 neutrons. Its isotopic mass is 14 u. Moreover, Carbon 14 is very rare, and its abundance is about 1 part per trillion.

Since C 14 is an unstable isotope of the Carbon atom, it undergoes radioactive decay. And, this is a process that occurs for every unstable isotope and is a natural process. It is a unique property of C 14 and is used for the determination of objects that are thousands of years old and is used extensively in archeology. The half-life of C 14 is 5730 years.

What is the Difference Between Carbon 12 and Carbon 14?

C 12 and C 14 are isotopes of the carbon atom. The key difference between carbon 12 and carbon 14 is that carbon 12 has 6 neutrons in its atomic nucleus whereas carbon 14 has 8 neutrons. Since the weight of protons and neutrons is the same, having 8 neutrons, C 14 is 20% heavier than C 12. Furthermore, since both C 12 and C 14 have the same number of protons, their atomic number is the same, but their atomic weights are different because of the different number of neutrons. So, this is a significant difference between C 12 and C 14.

Moreover, C 12 and C 14 also behave differently when it comes to nuclear reactions. Also, a further difference between C 12 and C 14 is that C 12 is found abundantly in the earth’s crust while C 14 is rare. Besides, C 12 is a stable isotope of Carbon while C 14 is an unstable isotope of the Carbon atom and undergoes radioactive decay.

Summary – Carbon 12 vs Carbon 14

Carbon 12 and Carbon 14 are isotopes of the carbon atom. Carbon atom always has 6 protons, but the number of neutrons can vary. For example, carbon 12 and carbon 14 are different isotopes of carbon having different numbers of neutrons. Hence, the key difference between carbon 12 and carbon 14 is that carbon 12 has 6 neutrons in its atomic nucleus whereas carbon 14 has 8 neutrons.

Reference:

1. “Carbon.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 7 Feb. 2019, Available here.

Image Courtesy:

1. “Carbon-atom” By Alejandro Porto – Own work (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Radioactive decay of Carbon-14 SVG” By ExeterPaul – Own work (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia