Chlorine has an average atomic mass of 35.45 amu. The 2 naturally occurring isotopes of chlorine are chlorine-35 and chlorine-37. Why does this indicate that most chlorine atoms contain 18 neutrons?
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Most chlorine atoms contain 18 neutrons because:
The atomic number of Chlorine is 17 - indicating the number of protons found in the atomic nucleus. Seeing as the atomic mass is 35, we subtract the number of protons from 35 to get the number of neutrons, 18.
We test our equation: 17 protons + 18 neutrons = 35
Chlorine-35 is the most common natural occurring isotope of chlorine which is why most chlorine atoms contain 18 neutrons.
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To understand why most chlorine atoms contain 18 neutrons, we need to look at the atomic masses of the two naturally occurring isotopes of chlorine and their relative abundances.
The atomic mass of chlorine is the weighted average of the atomic masses of its isotopes. Chlorine-35 has a mass of 35 amu (atomic mass units), and chlorine-37 has a mass of 37 amu. The average atomic mass of chlorine, given as 35.45 amu, suggests that there must be a higher abundance of chlorine-35 compared to chlorine-37.
To find the relative abundances of the isotopes, we can set up two equations:
Let x = relative abundance of chlorine-35
Then, (1 - x) = relative abundance of chlorine-37
The atomic mass of chlorine can be calculated using the equation:
(atomic mass of chlorine-35 * relative abundance of chlorine-35) + (atomic mass of chlorine-37 * relative abundance of chlorine-37) = average atomic mass of chlorine
Substituting the known values, we have:
(35 * x) + (37 * (1 - x)) = 35.45
Simplifying the equation:
35x + 37 - 37x = 35.45
-2x + 37 = 35.45
-2x = 35.45 - 37
-2x = -1.55
x = -1.55 / -2
x = 0.775
Therefore, the relative abundance of chlorine-35 is approximately 0.775, and the relative abundance of chlorine-37 is approximately 0.225.
Now, we can deduce the number of neutrons in most chlorine atoms. Chlorine-35 has an atomic mass of 35 amu, and since the atomic mass consists of protons and neutrons, the number of neutrons in chlorine-35 can be calculated as:
35 amu - 17 protons = 18 neutrons
Similarly, for chlorine-37:
37 amu - 17 protons = 20 neutrons
Since chlorine-35 is more abundant, with a relative abundance of approximately 0.775, it suggests that most chlorine atoms contain 18 neutrons.
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