Stable Isotopes
Commonly analysed stable isotopes include oxygen, carbon, nitrogen, hydrogen and sulfur. These isotope systems have been under investigation for many years in order to study processes of isotope fractionation in natural systems because they are relatively simple to measure.
Although they do not emit radiation, their unique properties enable them to be used in a broad variety of applications, including water and soil management, environmental studies, nutrition assessment studies and forensics. Stable isotopes are elements with the same number of protons but different number of neutrons. Carbon exists as two stable isotopes: 12C, which has six electrons, six protons, and six neutrons, and 13C, which has six electrons, six protons, and seven neutrons.
