Answer: Atomic mass (Cu) = (x)(63.0 amu) + (1 – x)(65.0 amu) = 63.5 amu 63.0x + 65 – 65.0x = 63.5 –2x = –1.5 x = 0.75 The percent abundance of each isotope is 75.0 % (Cu-63) and 25.0 % (Cu-65).
Explanation: As you know, the average atomic mass of an element is determined by taking the weighted average of the atomic masses of its naturally occurring isotopes.
Simply put, an element's naturally occurring isotopes will contribute to the average atomic mass of the element proportionally to their abundance.