Notes – Mass Number vs.

Atomic Weight
Mass number -

Atomic weight -

Why is the actual weight of an isotope not a whole number like the mass number?
(It is always slightly less)

How do you calculate an atomic weight?

Example: Three isotopes of magnesium occur in nature. Their abundances and masses are
listed below. Use this information to determine the atomic weight of magnesium.

Isotope % abundance mass(amu)

24
1 2 Mg 78.99 23.98504
25
1 2 Mg 10.00 24.98584
26
1 2 Mg 11.01 25.98259

Example: Calculate the atomic weight of zinc using the data in the table given below:

Isotope % abundance mass(amu)

64
3 0 Zn 48.6 63.929
66
3 0 Zn 27.9 65.9260
67
3 0 Zn 4.7 66.9271
68
3 0 Zn 18.8 67.9298
Example: The atomic weight of gallium is 69.72 amu. The masses of two naturally occuring
69
isotopes are 68.9257 amu for 3 1 Ga and 70.9249 amu for 3711Ga . Calculate the % abundance for
each isotope.

Example: The atomic weight of chlorine is 35.453 amu. There are only two isotopes of
chlorine: chlorine-35 (34.96885 amu) and chlorine-37 (36.9658). Calculate the % composition
of each isotope of chlorine.