General Chemistry: Principles and Modern Applications (10th Edition)

Published by Pearson Prentice Hal
ISBN 10: 0132064529
ISBN 13: 978-0-13206-452-1

Chapter 2 - Atoms and the Atomic Theory - Exercises - Atomic Mass Units, Atomic Masses - Page 63: 43

Answer

Weighted-average atomic mass of magnesium is approximately 24.309 u.

Work Step by Step

Taking into account the mass and abundance of each of its isotopes. We can use the following formula: weighted-average atomic mass = (mass1 x abundance1) + (mass2 x abundance2) + (mass3 x abundance3) + ... where mass1, mass2, mass3, etc. are the masses of each isotope, and abundance1, abundance2, abundance3, etc. are their respective abundances. Using the given data for magnesium, we can plug in the values and calculate: weighted-average atomic mass = (23.985042 u x 0.7899) + (24.985837 u x 0.1000) + (25.982593 u x 0.1101) = 18.949 u + 2.499 u + 2.861 u = 24.309 u Therefore, the weighted-average atomic mass of magnesium is approximately 24.309 u.
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