What is how to calculate average atomic mass?

Here's information about calculating average atomic mass, formatted in Markdown with links:

To calculate the average atomic mass of an element, you need two pieces of information:

1. Isotopic Masses: The atomic mass of each isotope of the element. This is usually given in atomic mass units (amu).

2. Relative Abundances: The relative abundance of each isotope. This is usually expressed as a percentage, but must be converted to a decimal before calculating.

Formula:

The average atomic mass is calculated using the following formula:

Average Atomic Mass = (Mass of Isotope 1 × Relative Abundance of Isotope 1) + (Mass of Isotope 2 × Relative Abundance of Isotope 2) + ...

(Continue this pattern for all isotopes of the element)

Steps:

1. Convert Percentages to Decimals: Divide each percentage abundance by 100 to convert it to a decimal.

2. Multiply Mass by Abundance: For each isotope, multiply its atomic mass by its decimal abundance.

3. Sum the Results: Add up the products calculated in step 2. The result is the average atomic mass of the element.

Example:

Let's say you have an element with two isotopes:

• Isotope 1: Mass = 20.0 amu, Abundance = 90%
• Isotope 2: Mass = 22.0 amu, Abundance = 10%

1. Convert percentages to decimals: 90% = 0.90, 10% = 0.10
2. Multiply mass by abundance: (20.0 amu × 0.90) + (22.0 amu × 0.10) = 18.0 amu + 2.2 amu
3. Sum the results: 18.0 amu + 2.2 amu = 20.2 amu

Therefore, the average atomic mass of this element is 20.2 amu.