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Natural Abundance Formula:
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Natural abundance refers to the relative proportion of isotopes of a chemical element as found in nature. This calculator determines the percentage abundance of two isotopes based on their masses and the average atomic mass.
The calculator uses the natural abundance formula:
Where:
Explanation: The formula calculates the relative proportions of two isotopes that would produce the observed average atomic mass.
Details: Understanding isotope abundances is crucial in fields like geology, archaeology (radiocarbon dating), nuclear science, and environmental studies. It helps determine the origin of materials and study various natural processes.
Tips: Enter the average atomic mass and the masses of both isotopes in atomic mass units (amu). All values must be positive numbers, and the isotope masses must be different from each other.
Q1: What if an element has more than two isotopes?
A: This calculator is specifically designed for elements with exactly two naturally occurring isotopes. For elements with more isotopes, more complex calculations are required.
Q2: Why do the percentages sometimes not add up to exactly 100%?
A: Due to rounding in the average atomic mass and measurement uncertainties, the calculated percentages might not always sum to exactly 100%, but will be very close.
Q3: Can this be used for radioactive isotopes?
A: This calculator is designed for stable isotopes with natural abundance. For radioactive isotopes, different considerations apply due to decay processes.
Q4: What are some common two-isotope elements?
A: Elements with exactly two stable isotopes include helium, fluorine, sodium, aluminum, phosphorus, and gold, among others.
Q5: How accurate are natural abundance measurements?
A: Modern mass spectrometry can measure isotopic abundances with very high precision, typically with uncertainties of less than 0.01%.