Question

Question #bb7a9

Answer 1

Any two isotopes of the same element differ only by the number of neutrons in the nucleus, so the main difference in the masses of the atoms.

If the isotopes are incorporated into molecules, then the chemical properties will be nearly identical. An exception is for isotopes of hydrogen (e.g., deuterium or tritium) where the relatively large increase in mass causes a big change in vibrational frequencies of the molecules, which can change the exothermicity of reactions.