Average Atomic Mass
Atomic Mass and Isotopes Every isotope of an element has a different atomic weight. Carbon – 12 Carbon -13 Carbon – 14
Atomic Mass and Isotopes(con’t) Some isotopes are very common, while others are rare. Each isotope can be given percent value for how common it is. Carbon-12 = 98.92 Carbon-13 = 1.07 Carbon-14= 0.01
Atomic Mass and Isotopes(con’t) A sample of any element will be a mix of all isotopes. We use a weighted average to determine the atomic mass.
Practice Problem Determine the average atomic mass for the following element. 12C(98.92), 13C(1.07), 14C(0.01)
Solution Multiply each atomic mass by the percent as a decimal, then add the answers. 12(.9892) + 13(.0107) + 14(.0001) = 11.8707 + 0.1391 + .0014 = 12.01