Question

Carbon (C) has three naturally occurring isotopes: C-12 (98.9%), C-13 ( 1.09%), and C-14 (0.01%).

Calculate the average atomic mass of Carbon.

Answer 1

The average atomic mass of carbon is calculated by multiplying the abundances of each isotope by their respective atomic masses and summing the results, resulting in an average atomic mass of approximately 12.01 amu.

Step-by-step explanation:

To calculate the average atomic mass of carbon, we consider the relative abundances and atomic masses of its naturally occurring isotopes: carbon-12 (C-12), carbon-13 (C-13), and carbon-14 (C-14).

The following calculation uses the given abundances:

(0.9889 × 12 amu) + (0.0111 × 13.003355 amu) + (0.0001 × 14 amu) = 12.011 amu
The predominant isotope is C-12, so the average atomic mass is close to 12 amu, in agreement with the periodic table value of 12.01 amu.