Carbon C-14

**Semantic type:** Element, Ion, or Isotope|Indicator, Reagent, or Diagnostic Aid

**Definition:** An unstable isotope of carbon created when a neutron collides with a nitrogen atom, causing capture of the neutron and release of the proton converting nitrogen to a carbon with fourteen nucleons (6 protons and 8 neutrons). Carbon-14 emits beta particles as it decays and reverts back to nitrogen.

**Synonyms:** - 14 Carbon - C-14 - CARBON C-14 - Carbon, Isotope of Mass 14 - Carbon-14