Lesson 6.

Atomic Mass

General Chemistry 1/2

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Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics
When we buy fruits in the market, it is either we usually
purchase it per kilogram or per pieces. When we buy rice,
we also purchase it by its weight.

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It is easy to get the
weight of different
macroscopic items;
all you need to have
is a weighing scale.
But, how do we
measure the mass of
an atom?
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 In this lesson, the different mass expressions
used to represent the weight of an atom will be
discussed.

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How do we express the mass
of atoms?

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 Learning Competency
At the end of the lesson, you should be able to do the following:

● Explain relative atomic mass and average

atomic mass (STEM_GC11AM-Ic-e-25).

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 Learning Objectives
At the end of the lesson, you should be able to do the following:

● Define atomic mass.

● Differentiate relative atomic mass and average

atomic mass.

● Calculate the average atomic mass of different

elements.

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 Atomic Mass

● The basic unit of matter is atoms.

● It is the smallest component of a chemical element.

● Atoms of each element have specific properties that

will determine their chemical and physical nature.

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 Atomic Mass

● The number of electrons, protons, and neutrons

determines the mass of an atom.

● It is possible to determine the mass of one atom

relative to another experimentally.

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 Atomic Mass

● Atomic mass (also called atomic weight) is the mass

of the atom expressed in atomic mass units (amu).

● One atomic mass unit is referred to as a mass exactly

equal to one-twelfth the mass of one carbon-12 atom.

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 Relative Atomic Mass

● Isotopes are atoms that have the same number of

protons and electrons but with a different number of
neutrons.

● This means isotopes also has a different atomic mass.

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 Relative Atomic Mass

● The average weight of all isotopes in a normal

environment is called the relative atomic mass.
● The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry
(IUPAC) publishes suggested values, which are updated
every year.
● The relative atomic mass is a standardized number and
is assumed to be true for most of the planet Earth's
crust.

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 Average Atomic Mass

● When the natural percentage abundance is considered

in calculating the weight of the naturally occurring
isotopes of an element, it is called an average atomic
mass.

● Average atomic mass differs depending on the

chemical sample.

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What is the difference between
relative atomic mass and
average atomic mass?

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 Average Atomic Mass

The general formula for the average atomic mass is given

below:

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 Average Atomic Mass

For example, carbon has two naturally occurring isotopes,

carbon-12 and carbon-13. Their average atomic mass can
be calculated as follows:

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 Average Atomic Mass

For example, carbon has two naturally occurring isotopes,

carbon-12 and carbon-13. Their average atomic mass can
be calculated as follows:

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 Average Atomic Mass

For example, carbon has two naturally occurring isotopes,

carbon-12 and carbon-13. Their average atomic mass can
be calculated as follows:

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 Let’s Practice!

Copper is used in electrical cables and pennies,among

other things. The atomic masses of its two stable
isotopes, (0.6909) and (0.3091) are 62.93
amu and 64.9278 amu, respectively. Calculate the
average atomic mass of copper. The relative
abundances are given in parentheses.

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 Let’s Practice!

Copper is used in electrical cables and pennies,among

other things. The atomic masses of its two stable
isotopes, (0.6909) and (0.3091) are 62.93
amu and 64.9278 amu, respectively. Calculate the
average atomic mass of copper. The relative
abundances are given in parentheses.

The average atomic mass of copper is 65.55 amu.

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Try It!

The atomic masses of the two stable

isotopes of boron, boron-10 (0.1978)
and boron-11 (0.8022), are 10.0129 amu
and 11.0093 amu, respectively. Calculate
the average atomic mass of boron. The
relative abundances are given in
parentheses.

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 Let’s Practice!

Chlorine has two isotopes (75.53%) and

(24.47%). Their atomic masses are 34.968 amu and
36.956 amu, respectively. Determine the average
atomic mass of chlorine. The percentages in
parentheses denote the relative abundances.

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 Let’s Practice!

Chlorine has two isotopes (75.53%) and

(24.47%). Their atomic masses are 34.968 amu and
36.956 amu, respectively. Determine the average
atomic mass of chlorine. The percentages in
parentheses denote the relative abundances.

The average atomic mass of chlorine is 35.454 amu.

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Try It!

Calculate the average atomic mass Si-28

(92.23 percent ), Si-29 (4.68 percent), Si-30
(3.09 percent). Their atomic masses are
27.97693 amu, 28.97649 amu, and
29.97377 amu, respectively.

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 Let’s Practice!

and have atomic masses of 6.0151 amu and

7.0160 amu, respectively. Determine the natural
abundances of each isotope, considering that the
average atomic mass of Li is 6.941 amu.

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 Let’s Practice!

and have atomic masses of 6.0151 amu and

7.0160 amu, respectively. Determine the natural
abundances of each isotope, considering that the
average atomic mass of Li is 6.941 amu.

The percentage of natural abundance of Li-6 and Li-7

are 7.49 % and 92.51 %, respectively.
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Try It!

Nitrogen is made up of two isotopes,

nitrogen-14 and nitrogen-15. Given
nitrogen's average atomic mass of 14.007,
what is the percent abundance of each
isotope?

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 Check Your Understanding

Identify the following based on the clues given.

1. It is the standard mass of the elements that is

determined by IUPAC.
2. It is the sum of all naturally occurring isotopes of an
element multiplied to its natural percentage
abundance.
3. The average weight of all isotopes in a normal
environment.
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 Check Your Understanding

Complete the table on the next page by supplying the

isotope, working equation, and average atomic mass
of the elements.

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 Check Your Understanding

Atomic mass
Element Isotopes Percentage Abundance
(amu)

(1) 14.003074 99.63

Nitrogen
Nitrogen-15 15.000108 0.37

Working
(2)
equation

Average
atomic (3)
mass 30
 Let’s Sum It Up!

● Atomic mass (also called atomic weight) is the

mass of the atom in atomic mass units (amu).
One atomic mass unit is referred to as a mass
exactly equal to one-twelfth the mass of one
carbon-12 atom.
● The average weight of all isotopes in a normal
environment in the earth’s crust is called the
relative atomic mass.
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 Let’s Sum It Up!

● The average atomic mass is the sum of all

naturally occurring isotopes of an element
multiplied to its natural percentage abundance.
This is dependent on a given sample.

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 Key Formula

Concept Formula Description

Use this
Average
formula to
atomic
solve for the
mass
average
atomic mass,
if the isotope
masses and
percentage
abundance are
given. 33
Challenge Yourself

Neon-20 and neon-22 are two major

isotopes of neon. Out of every 250
neon atoms, 225 will be Neon-20
(19.992 amu), and 25 will be Neon-22
(21.991 amu). Calculate the average
atomic mass of neon.

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Bibliography

Chang, Raymond, and Kenneth A. Goldsby. General Chemistry: The Essential Concepts. New York:
McGraw-Hill, 2014.

Handwerker, Mark J. Science Essentials. San Francisco, CA.: Jossey-Bass, 2005.

Hawe, Alan, Dan Davies, Kendra McMahon, Lee Towler, Chris Collier, and Tonie Scott. Science 5–11: A
Guide for Teachers. 2nd ed. New York, NY: David Fulton Publishers, 2009.

Petrucci, Ralph H. General Chemistry: Principles and Modern Applications. Toronto, Ont.: Pearson
Canada, 2011.

Silberberg, Martin S. Principles of General Chemistry. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2013.

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