Question

Determine the atomic mass for boron given the following information: B-10 has a percent abundance of 19.9% and B-11 has a percent abundance of 80.1%

Answer 1

The average atomic mass of Boron is calculated by multiplying the mass of each isotope by its percent abundance and then adding these products. This results in an average atomic mass of 10.8119 amu.

Step-by-step explanation:

You're asked to determine the atomic mass of boron. Boron has two isotopes: B-10 and B-11.

B-10 has a mass of 10.0129 amu and a percent abundance of 19.9%, while B-11 has a mass of 11.0093 amu and a percent abundance of 80.1%.

To calculate atomic mass, we need to multiply the mass of each isotope by its percent abundance (divided by 100 to convert it into a decimal), then add these products together:

1. B-10: (10.0129 amu) * (19.9 / 100) = 1.9925 amu
2. B-11: (11.0093 amu) * (80.1 / 100) = 8.8194 amu

Adding these two numbers together gives you a total average atomic mass of 10.8119 amu.

It's important to remember that individual Boron atoms will have a mass of either approximately 10 amu (B-10) or 11 amu (B-11), but due to the abundance differences, the average atomic mass for Boron is approximately 10.8 amu.

Learn more about Atomic Mass Calculation