Chemical Forums
Chemistry Forums for Students => Undergraduate General Chemistry Forum => Topic started by: dshipp17 on June 11, 2017, 01:48:23 PM
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I believe that this question may be solved by the John Dalton ratios, but, I'm confused: While traveling to a distant universe, you discover the hypothetical element “X.”You obtain a representative sample of the element and discover that it is made up of two isotopes,X-23 and X-25. To help your science team calculate the atomic mass of the substance, you send the following drawing of your sample with your report. In the report, you also inform the science team that the gold atoms are X-23, which have an isotopic mass of 23.02 amu, and the green atoms are X-25,which have an isotopic mass of 25.147 amu. What is the atomic mass of element X?
Would you help me solve this problem? Is there an equation that I can use? I tried the finding x thing, by saying one isotope is x and the other isotope is 1-x, but, there isn't enough information or seemingly too many unknowns.
X-23 is represented by gold balls and there are 5 of these gold balls; X-25 is represented by green balls and are 15 of these green balls; or, two gold balls and seven green balls in one row; and 3 gold balls and 8 green balls in the other row.
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Hint you have colored atoms. Give them an average weight.
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Hint you have colored atoms. Give them an average weight.
Thank you for your help; average weight was a big clue; this topic is usually covered in an analytical or quantitative analysis course rather than in a general chemistry course; however, I guess it's only fair and actually to my benefit, as I'm reviewing back over my chemistry degree rather than trying to get the chemistry degree, in consideration for taking the subject matter GRE; I last took a chemistry course in 1998 rather than April 2017, so, sometimes I'll have very basic questions at times and sometimes my questions will be challenging, as I'm clearing rust; I've been involved in non-chemistry (and non-math and science) activities since 2006 too.