Question

Let's try out the atomic mass equation. Suppose you have a mixture of two nitrogen isotopes. For every 1 nitrogen-15 isotope, there are 3 nitrogen-14 isotopes. Determine the abundance of each isotope in this mixture. Predict the average atomic mass of this mixture.

Answer 1

In this mixture, the abundance of nitrogen-15 is 0.25 and the abundance of nitrogen-14 is 0.75. The average atomic mass of the mixture is 24.75 amu.

Step-by-step explanation:

In this mixture, the abundance of nitrogen-15 can be represented as 1 and the abundance of nitrogen-14 can be represented as 3. To determine the total abundance of the mixture, we can calculate the sum of the abundances: 1 + 3 = 4. To find the abundance of each isotope, we divide the individual abundance by the total abundance. Therefore, the abundance of nitrogen-15 is 1/4 or 0.25, and the abundance of nitrogen-14 is 3/4 or 0.75.

To predict the average atomic mass of the mixture, we multiply the abundance of each isotope by its atomic mass, and then sum the results. The atomic mass of nitrogen-15 is 15 amu, and the atomic mass of nitrogen-14 is 14 amu. Using the respective abundances, we can calculate the average atomic mass: (0.25 * 15) + (0.75 * 14) = 14.25 + 10.5 = 24.75 amu.

Answer 2

The abundance of nitrogen-15 is 1/4, and the abundance of nitrogen-14 is 3/4. The predicted average atomic mass of this mixture is approximately 14.25 atomic mass units (amu).

Step-by-step explanation:

In this mixture of nitrogen isotopes, the ratio of nitrogen-15 to nitrogen-14 is given as 1:3. To determine the abundance of each isotope, normalize the ratio to obtain the proportions. The abundance of nitrogen-15 is 1 out of 4 (1/4), and the abundance of nitrogen-14 is 3 out of 4 (3/4). To find the predicted average atomic mass, multiply the abundance of each isotope by its respective atomic mass, then sum the products.

This calculation provides an estimate of the average atomic mass of the nitrogen isotopes in the given mixture. It reflects the weighted average of the atomic masses based on the abundance of each isotope in the sample.