Question

"Samples of an unknown element X were collected, and their masses were recorded. Use the information presented in the data table to answer the following questions.

Isotope | Percent Abundance | Mass Number | Mass (amu)
1 | 37.765 | ?
2 | 39.056 | ?
3 | 40.003 | ?
4 | 41.060 | ?
Fill in the mass number for each sample of element X in the data table."

Answer 1

Without specific data for element X, it's not possible to directly fill in the mass numbers, but one would typically round the atomic mass to the nearest whole number to estimate the mass number for each isotope.

Step-by-step explanation:

To fill in the mass numbers for each sample of element X given its percent abundances and atomic masses, we rely on the key concept that the mass number is the total number of protons and neutrons in an atom's nucleus and is always a whole number. However, since you've provided no specific data for element X here, it's not possible to directly fill in the mass numbers. Instead, I'll help by explaining how one would typically fill in the mass numbers using the provided information.

For example, if an isotope of element X has an atomic mass (mass in amu) of 39.056, one would round this mass to the nearest whole number to estimate the mass number for that isotope, under the assumption that the atomic mass of isotopes are close to but not the same as their mass numbers. Therefore, the mass number would approximately be 39 in this case. The same approach would apply to the other isotopes.