Chlorine has two natural isotopes: 17^37 Cl and 17^35 Cl....

Chlorine has two natural isotopes: ${ }_{17}^{37} \mathrm{Cl}$ and ${ }_{17}^{35} \mathrm{Cl}$. Hydrogen reacts with chlorine to form the compound $\mathrm{HCl}$. Would a given amount of hydrogen react with different masses of the two chlorine isotopes? Does this conflict with the law of definite proportion? Why or why not?

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Key Concepts

Law of Definite Proportions

The law of definite proportions states that a chemical compound always contains the same elements in the same ratio by mass. This law is maintained because the fixed numerical ratios of atoms in the compound remain constant, regardless of isotopic substitution, even though the absolute masses may vary slightly due to isotopic differences.

Isotopes

Isotopes are forms of an element that have the same number of protons but different numbers of neutrons, leading to different atomic masses. While chemically identical, their mass difference means that equal numbers of each isotope will have different total masses.

Molar Mass and Reaction Stoichiometry

Molar mass is the mass of one mole of a substance and is crucial in stoichiometric calculations. When a reaction is described in moles (which count particles), the difference in mass from different isotopes does not change the number of atoms reacting, but it can lead to different measured masses for the same number of reacting atoms.

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