Question

Chlorine has two naturally stable isotopes, chlorine-35 and chlorine-37. Of these isotopes, the relative abundance is 0.75 for chlorine-35 and 0.35 for chlorine-37. Use the mass numbers for each of the isotope as a rounded average mass. What would you expect the atomic mass of chlorine to be?

Answer 1

Based on the relative abundances provided, the atomic mass of chlorine can be estimated by calculating the weighted average:

(0.75 * 35 amu) + (0.35 * 37 amu) = 35.5 amu

Therefore, the expected atomic mass of chlorine is approximately 35.5 atomic mass units (amu).