Final answer:
Carbon-13 is an isotope of carbon with 6 protons, 6 electrons, and 7 neutrons, resulting in a mass number of 13.
Step-by-step explanation:
The isotope Carbon-13 has a mass number of 13, which is the sum of its protons and neutrons. By definition, carbon atoms have 6 protons, as indicated by its atomic number which is universally constant for carbon. As such, Carbon-13 would have 6 protons since the atomic number of carbon is 6. This isotope has 7 neutrons because the mass number (13) minus the number of protons (6) leaves us with 7. In a neutral atom, the number of electrons equals the number of protons, thus Carbon-13 also contains 6 electrons, resulting in no overall charge.
The term isotopes refers to different forms of the same element that have identical proton counts but varying numbers of neutrons. While Carbon-12 is the standard isotope with 6 neutrons, Carbon-13, being an isotope, has a different number of neutrons. It's important to understand that although isotopes have different mass numbers due to the differing neutrons, they still retain the same chemical properties as they share the same electron configuration.