Strontium has four naturally occurring isotopes, with mass...

Name: Problem 36, Chapter 4: Chemistry: An Introduction to General, Organic, and Biological Chemistry
Uploaded: 2021-08-26T01:38:33-08:00
Duration: 3 min 24 s
Channel: Caleb Prus
Description: Strontium has four naturally occurring isotopes, with mass numbers 84, 86, 87, and 88. a. Write the atomic symbol for each of these atoms. b. How are these isotopes alike? c. How are they different? d. Why is the atomic mass of strontium listed on the periodic table not a whole number? e. Which isotope is the most prevalent in a sample of strontium?

Strontium has four naturally occurring isotopes, with mass numbers 84, 86, 87, and 88. a. Write the atomic symbol for each of these atoms. b. How are these isotopes alike? c. How are they different? d. Why is the atomic mass of strontium listed on the periodic table not a whole number? e. Which isotope is the most prevalent in a sample of strontium?

Strontium has four naturally occurring isotopes, with mass numbers 84, 86, 87, and 88.
a. Write the atomic symbol for each of these atoms.
b. How are these isotopes alike?
c. How are they different?
d. Why is the atomic mass of strontium listed on the periodic table not a whole number?
e. Which isotope is the most prevalent in a sample of strontium?

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Key Concepts

Isotopic Abundance and Average Atomic Mass

The average atomic mass of an element, as listed on the periodic table, is calculated by taking into account the mass of each isotope and its relative abundance in nature. Since the naturally occurring isotopes are present in different proportions and their masses are not whole numbers relative to each other, the weighted average results in a non-integer value.

Atomic Number versus Mass Number

The atomic number, which represents the number of protons, is unique to each element and defines its chemical identity, whereas the mass number is the sum of protons and neutrons in the nucleus. Isotopes of an element differ in their mass numbers because of variations in neutron count.

Isotopes

Isotopes are different forms of the same element that have the same number of protons but different numbers of neutrons. This results in atoms of the same element having nearly identical chemical properties while exhibiting differences in mass and, sometimes, nuclear stability and radioactivity.

Atomic Symbol and Nuclear Notation

The atomic symbol is a shorthand used to represent elements, often combined with the mass number to specify a particular isotope. Nuclear notation typically includes the mass number as a superscript before the symbol, which helps in distinguishing between isotopes of the same element.

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