How to tell which isotope is more abundant?
Understand the Problem
The question is asking how to determine the relative abundance of different isotopes of an element. This involves analyzing various factors such as their stability, natural occurrence, and possibly mass spectrometry data.
Answer
The isotope with atomic mass closest to the element's average atomic mass is most abundant.
The most abundant isotope is the one whose atomic mass is closest to the average atomic mass of the element.
Answer for screen readers
The most abundant isotope is the one whose atomic mass is closest to the average atomic mass of the element.
More Information
This method works well for most elements, especially if the atomic mass is not significantly affected by rare isotopes.
Tips
Avoid assuming the isotope with a mass number rounded from the atomic mass is the most abundant without checking specific abundances.
Sources
- Isotopes - Chemistry LibreTexts - chem.libretexts.org
- How to determine which isotope is the most abundant - YouTube - youtube.com
- How do you know which isotope is more abundant - Quora - quora.com
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