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Chapter 3: Problem 2

What is the mass (in amu) of a carbon-12 atom? Why is the atomic mass of carbon listed as 12.01 amu in the List of the Elements with Their Symbols and Atomic Masses?

Short Answer

Expert verified
The mass of a carbon-12 atom is exactly 12 amu. The atomic mass of carbon is listed as 12.01 amu because this value is a weighted average that includes the slightly larger masses of carbon's other isotopes and their relative abundances.

Step by step solution

01

Understand Units

In this problem, atomic mass units (amu) are used. An atomic mass unit is a unit of mass used to express atomic and molecular weights. By definition, 12 amu is the mass of a carbon-12 atom.
02

Determine the Mass of a Carbon-12 Atom

As per the definition of atomic mass units, the mass of a carbon-12 atom is exactly 12 amu.
03

Explain the Listed Atomic Mass of Carbon

The atomic mass listed for an element is the weighted average of the masses of the isotopes of that element. Carbon has several isotopes (e.g., carbon-13 and carbon-14) which have larger masses than carbon-12. When the masses of these isotopes and their relative abundances are taken into account, the average atomic mass of carbon increases to slightly over 12 amu, resulting in the listed atomic mass of approximately 12.01 amu.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

A sample of iron weighing \(15.0 \mathrm{~g}\) was heated with potassium chlorate \(\left(\mathrm{KClO}_{3}\right)\) in an evacuated container. The oxygen generated from the decomposition of \(\mathrm{KClO}_{3}\) converted some of the Fe to \(\mathrm{Fe}_{2} \mathrm{O}_{3}\). If the combined mass of Fe and \(\mathrm{Fe}_{2} \mathrm{O}_{3}\) was \(17.9 \mathrm{~g}\), calculate the mass of \(\mathrm{Fe}_{2} \mathrm{O}_{3}\) formed and the mass of \(\mathrm{KClO}_{3}\) decomposed.

How many grams of \(\mathrm{H}_{2} \mathrm{O}\) will be produced from the complete combustion of \(26.7 \mathrm{~g}\) of butane \(\left(\mathrm{C}_{4} \mathrm{H}_{10}\right) ?\)

A certain metal M forms a bromide containing 53.79 percent Br by mass. What is the chemical formula of the compound?

In the formation of carbon monoxide, CO, it is found that \(2.445 \mathrm{~g}\) of carbon combine with \(3.257 \mathrm{~g}\) of oxygen. What is the atomic mass of oxygen if the atomic mass of carbon is 12.01 amu?

The explosive nitroglycerin \(\left(\mathrm{C}_{3} \mathrm{H}_{5} \mathrm{~N}_{3} \mathrm{O}_{9}\right)\) has also been used as a drug to treat heart patients to relieve pain (angina pectoris). We now know that nitroglycerin produces nitric oxide (NO), which causes muscles to relax and allows the arteries to dilate. If each nitroglycerin molecule releases one NO per atom of \(\mathrm{N},\) calculate the mass percent of NO available from nitroglycerin.
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