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Naturally occurring chlorine is 75.78% 35-Cl (atomic mass 34.969 amu) and 24.22% 37-Cl (atomic mass 36.966). Calculate the atomic weight of Chlorine

User Stochastic
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Final answer:

The atomic weight of Chlorine can be calculated by considering the percent abundances and atomic masses of its two naturally occurring isotopes, chlorine-35 and chlorine-37. By calculating the mass contributions of each isotope and adding them together, we find the average atomic mass of Chlorine to be 35.41 amu.

Step-by-step explanation:

The atomic weight of Chlorine can be calculated by considering the percent abundances and atomic masses of its two naturally occurring isotopes, chlorine-35 and chlorine-37.

Step 1: Calculate the mass contribution of chlorine-35 to the average relative atomic mass. 75.78% of the chlorine atoms has a mass of 35 amu. The contribution of Cl-35 is calculated as (75.78 x 35) / 100 = 26.443 amu.

Step 2: Calculate the mass contribution of chlorine-37 to the average relative atomic mass. 24.22% of the chlorine atoms has a mass of 37 amu. The contribution of Cl-37 is calculated as (24.22 x 37) / 100 = 8.967 amu.

Step 3: Add up the mass contributions of the two isotopes to find the average atomic mass of Chlorine. The atomic weight of Chlorine is the sum of the contributions from Cl-35 and Cl-37: 26.443 amu + 8.967 amu = 35.41 amu.

User Orlade
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