carbon 12
noun
the isotopic carbon atom that comprises 99 percent of naturally occurring carbon, and that since 1961 has been used as the standard for atomic weight by representing a unit of 12.00000.
Origin of carbon 12
1First recorded in 1940–45
- Also car·bon-12 [kahr-buhn-twelv]. /ˈkɑr bənˈtwɛlv/.
Words Nearby carbon 12
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
Scientific definitions for carbon 12
carbon 12
A stable isotope of carbon, having six protons and six neutrons in the nucleus. Carbon 12 makes up most naturally occurring carbon.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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