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2 September, 22:51

Why is the atomic mass of carbon 12.0111 amu and not just 12?

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  1. 2 September, 23:17
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    The masses given in periodic tables are weighted averages of all available isotopes not the actual mass.

    The accurate mass of a proton is (1.0073 amu). The mass of a neutron is (1.0087 amu). The mass of C-13 is not 13 (13.0033548378 amu).

    The isotopic abundances of C-12 and C-13 are 98.93% and 1.07%, respectively.

    The atomic mass of carbon therefore is

    (0.9893) (12 amu) + (0.0107) (13.00336) = 12.0107 amu
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