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Ch.2 - Atoms, Molecules, and Ions
Chapter 2, Problem 98a1

There are two different isotopes of bromine atoms. Under normal conditions, elemental bromine consists of Br2 molecules, and the mass of a Br2 molecule is the sum of the masses of the two atoms in the molecule. The mass spectrum of Br2 consists of three peaks: Mass (u) Relative Size 157.836 0.2569 159.834 0.4999 161.832 0.2431 (a) What is the origin of second (mass of 159.834 amu) peak (of what isotopes does each consist)?

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Key Concepts

Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.

Isotopes

Isotopes are variants of a chemical element that have the same number of protons but different numbers of neutrons, resulting in different atomic masses. For bromine, the two stable isotopes are bromine-79 and bromine-81. Understanding isotopes is crucial for interpreting mass spectra, as the relative abundance of each isotope contributes to the overall mass of the molecule.
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Mass Spectrum

A mass spectrum is a graphical representation of the mass-to-charge ratio of ions, which helps identify the composition of a sample. Each peak in the spectrum corresponds to a specific ion, with its height indicating the relative abundance. In the case of Br2, the peaks represent the different combinations of bromine isotopes, allowing us to deduce the isotopic composition of the molecule.
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Electromagnetic Spectrum

Molecular Mass Calculation

The molecular mass of a compound is calculated by summing the atomic masses of its constituent atoms. For Br2, the molecular mass is derived from the masses of the two bromine atoms, which can be isotopes. The second peak at 159.834 amu suggests a specific combination of isotopes, which can be determined by analyzing the contributions of each isotope to the total mass.
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Molar Mass Calculation Example
Related Practice
Textbook Question

A chemist finds that 30.82 g of nitrogen will react with 17.60, 35.20, 70.40, or 88.00 g of oxygen to form four different compounds. (a) Calculate the mass of oxygen per gram of nitrogen in each compound. 30.82 g N and 17.60 g O

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Textbook Question

A chemist finds that 30.82 g of nitrogen will react with 17.60, 35.20, 70.40, or 88.00 g of oxygen to form four different compounds. (a) Calculate the mass of oxygen per gram of nitrogen in each compound. 30.82 g N and 88.00 g O

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Textbook Question

In a series of experiments, a chemist prepared three different compounds that contain only iodine and fluorine and determined the mass of each element in each compound: Compound Mass of Iodine (g) Mass of Fluorine (g) 1 4.75 3.56 2 7.64 3.43 3 9.41 9.86 (a) Calculate the mass of fluorine per gram of iodine in Compound 3.

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Textbook Question

"The diameter of a rubidium atom is 495 pm We will consider two different ways of placing the atoms on a surface. In arrangement A, all the atoms are lined up with one another to form a square grid. Arrangement B is called a close-packed arrangement because the atoms sit in the 'depressions' formed by the previous row of atoms:

(c) By what factor has the number of atoms on the surface increased in going to arrangement B from arrangement A?

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Textbook Question

"The diameter of a rubidium atom is 495 pm We will consider two different ways of placing the atoms on a surface. In arrangement A, all the atoms are lined up with one another to form a square grid. Arrangement B is called a close-packed arrangement because the atoms sit in the 'depressions' formed by the previous row of atoms:

(c) If extended to three dimensions, which arrangement would lead to a greater density for Rb metal?"

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Textbook Question

(b) Pentane is the alkane with a chain of five carbon atoms. Determine its empirical formula.

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