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Multiple Choice
Only three isotopes of magnesium exist on earth. 24Mg is the most common form at 78.70% natural abundance with a mass of 23.98504 amu, 25Mg has a 10.13% natural abundance, while 26Mg has a natural abundance of 11.17% and a mass of 25.98259 amu. What is the mass of the 25Mg isotope?
A
24.76171 amu
B
24.99030 amu
C
25.00138 amu
D
25.38402 amu
Verified step by step guidance
1
Understand that the problem is asking for the mass of the 25Mg isotope, given the natural abundances and masses of the other isotopes.
Recall that the average atomic mass of an element is calculated using the formula: \( \text{Average Atomic Mass} = (\text{Fractional Abundance}_1 \times \text{Mass}_1) + (\text{Fractional Abundance}_2 \times \text{Mass}_2) + (\text{Fractional Abundance}_3 \times \text{Mass}_3) \).
Convert the percentage abundances of each isotope into fractional abundances by dividing by 100. For example, 78.70% becomes 0.7870.
Set up the equation for the average atomic mass of magnesium using the given data: \( 0.7870 \times 23.98504 + 0.1013 \times x + 0.1117 \times 25.98259 = \text{Average Atomic Mass} \), where \( x \) is the mass of the 25Mg isotope.
Solve the equation for \( x \) to find the mass of the 25Mg isotope. This involves isolating \( x \) on one side of the equation and calculating its value using algebraic manipulation.