Which of the following would be an isotope of carbon-14?

• A. nitrogen-14
• B. carbon-12
• C. oxygen-16
• D. carbon-6

Answer: (B)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand what an isotope is: Isotopes are atoms of the same element that have the same number of protons but different numbers of neutrons.
2. Identify the element in question: Carbon-14 has 6 protons (since carbon's atomic number is 6) and 8 neutrons (14 - 6 = 8).
3. Check each option to see if it has the same number of protons (6) as carbon: Nitrogen-14 has 7 protons, oxygen-16 has 8 protons, carbon-12 has 6 protons, and carbon-6 is not a valid isotope notation.
4. Since isotopes must have the same number of protons, only carbon-12 qualifies as an isotope of carbon-14 because it has 6 protons but a different number of neutrons (12 - 6 = 6 neutrons).
5. Conclude that the correct isotope of carbon-14 from the options given is carbon-12.