2006-10-19 06:36:52 · 6 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Physics
It is the atomic mass of atoms that determines the quantity of isotopes.
Uranium is a perfect example because it is an unstable atom, meaning it has a high percentage of isotope.
Uranium's atomic number is 92 meaning it has 92 protons (+) 92 neutrons (+ - =0) and 92 electrons.
You only count the number of protons and neutrons (the nucleus of the atom to determine its atomic number) > 92+92=184
But the atomic mass number of uranium is 238,029, so there is a big number of unstable uranium atoms.
238,029-184= 54.029 %
In the case of oxygen it has a lesser percentage of isotopes.
Oxygen's atomic number is 8. > 8 protons + 8 neutrons
so the atomic mass of a stable oxygen atom is of 16. But the atomic mass of oxygen in general is 15.999. There is a very small percentage of unstable oxygen atoms. about 0.001%
So in a nutshell, isotopes are unstable atoms.
***Some people confuse isotopes and ions. Ions are atoms with one to many or one less electron. This affects the charge of the atom and it tries to steel or exchange an electron from another atom. But it is far far extremely far different (even uncomparable) to isotopes. Its totally different.
2006-10-19 07:14:31 · answer #1 · answered by Yahoo! 5 · 1⤊ 1⤋
It's just atomic mass. The number you see on the periodic table is a weighted average of all the isotopes of that element, based on the relative abundance of each isotope.
2006-10-19 06:40:04 · answer #2 · answered by theyuks 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
the average mass of all the isotopes of an element is what appears on the periodic table as the atomic mass of the given element.
2006-10-19 06:57:58 · answer #3 · answered by sangreal 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Atomic Weight
2006-10-19 06:38:42 · answer #4 · answered by Bors 4 · 1⤊ 1⤋
ummm.........yes?....oh wait this isn't a yes or no question...sorry I'm gonna guess 3...NO WAIT...6...s**t, I don't know...I just wanted to answer your question
2006-10-19 06:46:00 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
queso
2006-10-19 06:39:02 · answer #6 · answered by connis 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋