Why is the value listed for atomic mass for each element on the periodic table not a whole number?
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This is due to different abundancies of isotopes of an atoms.
For eg.
Cl has a mass of 35.5u
Abundancies of Cl isotopes
Cl-35 : 75%
Cl-37 : 25%
Mass of Cl atom : 75% of mass of Cl-35 isotope + 25% of mass of Cl-37 istope
75/100 of 35 + 25/100 of 37
= 35.5
For eg.
Cl has a mass of 35.5u
Abundancies of Cl isotopes
Cl-35 : 75%
Cl-37 : 25%
Mass of Cl atom : 75% of mass of Cl-35 isotope + 25% of mass of Cl-37 istope
75/100 of 35 + 25/100 of 37
= 35.5
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