Question

How can you determine the atomic mass of an unknown metal if you know its density and the dimension of its unit cell? Explain.

Answer 1

Hey there!

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Answer :

Density of unit cell $(d) = \frac{Mass of unit cell}{Volume of unit cell}$

$d = \frac{Mass of 1 atom × Number of atoms per unit cell (Z)}{Volume of unit cell}$

$d = \frac{Atomic mass (M) × Z}{Avogadro's Number × (edge length)^3}$

$= \frac{M × Z}{N_{A } × a^{3}}$

⇒ M = $\frac{d × N_{A} × a^{3}}{Z}$

Atomic mass of unknown metal can be determined by the above formula if we (you) know the density and the dimensions of unit cell.