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• By definition, one atom of carbon-12 is assigned a mass of

12 atomic mass units (amu). An atomic mass unit is defined
as a mass equal to one twelfth the mass of an atom of
carbon-12. The mass of any isotope of any element is
expressed in relation to the carbon-12 standard.
• The carbon-12 atom has six protons and six neutrons in its
nucleus for a mass number of 12
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• The relative atomic mass of an element is

a weighted average of the masses of the
atoms of the isotopes - because if there is
much more of one isotope then that will
influence the average mass much more than
the less abundant isotope will.
 Relative Atomic Mass
Average mass of one atom of an element
compared to one twelfth of the mass of an atom
of Carbon-12
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• The relative atomic mass of an element is

a weighted average of the masses of the
atoms of the isotopes - because if there is
much more of one isotope then that will
influence the average mass much more than
the less abundant isotope will.
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• For example, chlorine has two isotopes: 35Cl

and 37Cl. But the relative atomic mass of
chlorine is not 36. In any sample of chlorine,
75 per cent of the atoms are 35Cl and the
remaining 25 per cent are 37Cl.
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