Problems for Chapter 1
1. True or false: Isotopes are forms of the same element with the same number of
neutrons and electrons, but different numbers of protons.
2. True or false: Working with stable isotopes of the HCNOS elements needs special
permits and licensing due to radioactivity hazards.
3. True or false: The heavy isotopes of an element are always rarer than their light
isotope counterparts.
4. True or false: Most modern instrumentation is not equipped to detect isotopes,
with the exception of mass spectrometers and some laser systems.
5. True or false: If the human in Fig. 1.3 were composed exclusively of light
isotopes, that human would be 10% lighter than the human depicted.
6. True or false: The element fluorine has only one stable isotope form, while the
element chlorine has two stable isotopes.
7. True or false: Sulfur has more stable isotopes than does hydrogen or nitrogen.
8. True or false: Early scientists who discovered stable isotopes in the late 1880s
were awarded Nobel prizes.
9. True or false: Stable isotopes are similar forms of the same element, differing in
the number of neurons and spin orientation.
10. True or false: Ecologists can freely add stable isotopes to field experiments with
little cost or effort, but interpretation of the isotope addition experiments is not
always simple.