An element has two naturally occurring isotopes. Isotope 1...

An element has two naturally occurring isotopes. Isotope 1 has a mass of 120.9038 amu and a relative abundance of $57.4 \%,$ and isotope 2 has a mass of 122.9042 amu and a relative abundance of $42.6 \% .$ Find the atomic mass of this element and, referring to the periodic table, identify it.

Labs

Want to see this concept in action?

NEW

Explore this concept interactively to see how it behaves as you change inputs.

View Labs

Key Concepts

Relative Abundance

Relative abundance refers to the percentage or fraction of each isotope present in a naturally occurring sample of an element. It is a critical factor in computing the atomic mass because each isotope contributes to the total mass proportionally to its occurrence.

Isotopes

Isotopes are versions of an element that have the same number of protons but different numbers of neutrons, leading to different atomic masses. Understanding isotopes is essential since elements in nature often exist as mixtures of these variants, and their properties can be analyzed through their mass differences.

Atomic Mass and Weighted Average

The atomic mass of an element is calculated as the weighted average of the masses of its naturally occurring isotopes, with each isotope’s mass being multiplied by its fractional abundance. This concept combines the idea of different isotopic masses with their relative proportions to yield an average that reflects the element’s overall mass as found in nature.

Periodic Table

The periodic table organizes elements according to their atomic structure and properties. Using the calculated atomic mass and comparing it with the values provided in the periodic table allows one to identify the specific element, as each element has a characteristic atomic mass range that serves as its fingerprint.

Transcript

Please give Ace some feedback