Question

Only two stable isotopes of chlorine exist. 35Cl has a mass of 34.96885 amu and 37Cl has a mass of 36.9659 amu. Given that the atomic mass of chlorine is 35.453, calculate the isotopic abundance of 37Cl. (Enter your answer as a decimal number between zero and one.)

Answer 1

Answer: The isotopic abundance of Cl- 37 is 0.2424.

Step-by-step explanation:

Mass of isotope - 35 = 34.96885 amu

% abundance of isotope -35= x% =
`(x)/(100)`

Mass of isotope - 37 = 36.9659 amu.

% abundance of isotope-37 = (100-x)% =
`(100-x)/(100)`

Formula used for average atomic mass of an element :

`\text{ Average atomic mass of an element}=\sum(\text{atomic mass of an isotopes}* {{\text { fractional abundance}})`

`35.453=\sum[(34.96885 * (x)/(100))+(36.9659 * (100-x)/(100)]]`

`x=75.76\%`

`(100-75.76)=24.24\%=0.2424`

Therefore, the isotopic abundance of Cl- 37 is 0.2424.