question archive The term "" refers to the mass of a single atom
The term "" refers to the mass of a single atom
Subject:ChemistryPrice: Bought3
The term "" refers to the mass of a single atom. The mass of a single atom of carbon-12 is defined as exactly 12 u.
The term atomic mass is also often used (though technically, incorrectly) to refer to the average atomic mass of all of the of an element.
This second definition is actually the relative atomic mass of an element — a single average value of the element's mass based on the masses of its isotopes.
Carbon has 15 known isotopes, of which only two (##""^12"C"color(white)(l) "and"color(white)(l) ""^13"C"##) are stable. ##""^14"C"## exists only in trace amounts, so it makes no measurable contribution to the average atomic mass.
Carbon consists of 98.93% ##""^12"C"## (12 u) and 1.07% ##""^13"C"## (13.003 u). What is the average atomic mass of these isotopes?
