Final answer:
To determine the atomic mass of lithium, consider the isotopic composition and calculate the weighted average of the masses of its isotopes.
Step-by-step explanation:
In order to determine the atomic mass of lithium, you need to consider the isotopic composition of lithium. Lithium has two main isotopes: lithium-7, which makes up 92.4% of naturally occurring lithium, and lithium-6, which makes up 7.60% of naturally occurring lithium.
You can calculate the atomic mass of lithium by multiplying the mass of each isotope by its abundance and then summing them up. For example:
Atomic mass = (0.924 × 7.016 u) + (0.076 × 6.015 u)
After doing the calculations, you'll find that the atomic mass of lithium is approximately 6.94 unified atomic mass units (u).