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What is the average atomic mass of manganese (Mn), which has three isotopic forms, with Mn-53 having a mass of 53.02975 amu and occurring 20.75%?

A) 54.9385 amu
B) 55.0556 amu
C) 53.02975 amu
D) 52.4412 amu

1 Answer

4 votes

Final answer:

The average atomic mass of manganese cannot be determined from the given information, as the masses and abundances of all isotopes are not provided, which are necessary to perform the calculations.

Step-by-step explanation:

The student is asking about the calculation of the average atomic mass of manganese (Mn), which is a concept in chemistry dealing with the weighted average of the atomic masses of an element's isotopes based on their natural abundance.

To calculate the average atomic mass when only one isotope's mass and abundance are given, we would need the mass and abundance of the other isotopes. Since we don't have that information for all the isotopes of manganese in this question, we cannot calculate an average atomic mass with the given data. Thus, we cannot determine the correct answer from options A, B, C, or D without additional information.

This topic typically falls within the domain of isotope calculations, often encountered in high school chemistry classes.