While every initiative has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies.Please describe the proper style manual or other sources if you have any questions.

You are watching: Why is the mass number always a whole number


Corrections? Updates? Omissions? permit us know if you have actually suggestions to enhance this short article (requires login).
Feedback typeselect a kind (Required)Factual CorrectionSpelling/Grammar correctionlink CorrectionAdditional InformationOther

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and also determine whether to review the article.

Join chathamtownfc.net"s Publishing partner Program and our neighborhood of specialists to get a an international audience for her work!
*

Key People:Francis william AstonFrederick SoddyTheodore wilhelm Richards...(Show more)Related Topics:DeuteriumRadioactive isotopeTritiumTantalum-181Tantalum-180...(Show more)
*

isotope, one of two or more species of atoms of a chemical aspect with the very same atomic number and position in the routine table and practically identical chemical behaviour but with various atomic masses and physical properties. Every chemical facet has one or an ext isotopes.

An atom is an initial identified and labeled follow to the number of protons in the nucleus. This atom number is ordinarily offered the price Z. The good importance the the atom number derives native the observation that all atoms v the very same atomic number have actually nearly, if no precisely, identical chemical properties. A huge collection that atoms with the same atomic number constitutes a sample of one element. A bar that pure uranium, because that instance, would consist entirely of atoms through atomic number 92. The routine table that the facets assigns one location to every atom number, and also each of these locations is labeled through the typical name of the element, as, because that example, calcium, radon, or uranium.

Not all the atoms of an aspect need have the same variety of neutrons in your nuclei. In fact, the is specifically the sport in the number of neutrons in the nuclei of atoms that gives rise to isotopes. Hydrogen is a case in point. It has the atom number 1. Three nuclei v one proton are known that contain 0, 1, and 2 neutrons, respectively. The 3 share the location in the periodic table assigned to atom number 1 and hence are called isotopes (from the Greek isos, definition “same,” and also topos, signifying “place”) the hydrogen.

See more: How Much Does A Brick Weigh In Lbs ? How Much Does A Solid Red Brick Weigh

Many necessary properties of one isotope depend on the mass. The total number of neutrons and protons (symbol A), or mass number, of the cell nucleus gives approximately the fixed measured on the so-called atomic-mass-unit (amu) scale. The numerical difference in between the really measured fixed of an isotope and also A is referred to as either the mass excess or the mass defect (symbol Δ; see table).


Abundances that the isotopes element Z price A variety massive excess
Sources: G. Audi and A.H. Wapstra, "The 1995 update to atom Mass Evaluation," nuclear Physics, A595:409–480 (1995); K.J.R. Rosman and P.D.P. Taylor, "Isotopic Compositions of the facets 1997," J. Phys. Chem. Ref. Data, 27:1275–85 (1995).
hydrogen 1 H 1 99.9885 7.289
2 0.0151 13.136
helium 2 the 3 0.000138 14.931
4 99.999863 2.425
lithium 3 Li 6 7.59 14.086
7 92.41 14.908
beryllium 4 be 9 100 11.348
boron 5 B 10 19.9 12.051
11 80.1 8.668
carbon 6 C 12 98.93 0
13 1.07 3.125
nitrogen 7 N 14 99.632 2.863
15 0.368 0.101
oxygen 8 O 16 99.757 −4.737
17 0.038 −0.809
18 0.205 −0.782
fluorine 9 F 19 100 −1.487
neon 10 Ne 20 90.48 −7.042
21 0.27 −5.732
22 9.25 −8.024
sodium 11 Na 23 100 −9.529
magnesium 12 Mg 24 78.99 −13.933
25 10.00 −13.193
26 11.01 −16.214
aluminum 13 Al 27 100 −17.197
silicon 14 Si 28 92.2297 −21.493
29 4.6832 −21.895
30 3.0872 −24.433
phosphorus 15 p 31 100 −24.441
sulfur 16 S 32 94.93 −26.016
33 0.76 −26.586
34 4.29 −29.932
36 0.02 −30.664
chlorine 17 Cl 35 75.78 −29.014
37 24.22 −31.762
argon 18 Ar 36 0.3365 −30.230
38 0.0632 −34.715
40 99.6003 −35.040
potassium 19 K 39 93.2581 −33.807
40 0.0117 −33.535
41 6.7302 −35.559
calcium 20 Ca 40 96.941 −34.846
42 0.647 −38.547
43 0.135 −38.408
44 2.086 −41.469
46 0.004 −43.135
48 0.187 −44.215
scandium 21 Sc 45 100 −41.069
titanium 22 Ti 46 8.25 −44.125
47 7.44 −44.932
48 73.72 −48.487
49 5.41 −48.558
50 5.18 −51.426
vanadium 23 V 50 0.250 −49.218
51 99.750 −52.198
chromium 24 Cr 50 4.345 −50.254
52 83.789 −55.413
53 9.501 −55.281
54 2.365 −56.928
manganese 25 Mn 55 100 −57.706
steel 26 Fe 54 5.845 −56.248
56 91.754 −60.601
57 2.119 −60.176
58 0.282 −62.149
cobalt 27 Co 59 100 −62.224
nickel 28 Ni 58 68.0769 −60.223
60 26.2231 −64.468
61 1.1399 −64.217
62 3.6345 −66.743
64 0.9256 −67.096
copper 29 Cu 63 69.17 −65.576
65 30.83 −67.260
zinc 30 Zn 64 48.63 −66.000
66 27.90 −68.896
67 4.10 −67.877
68 18.75 −70.004
70 0.62 −69.559
gallium 31 Ga 69 60.108 −69.321
71 39.892 −70.137
germanium 32 Ge 70 20.84 −70.560
72 27.54 −72.586
73 7.73 −71.299
74 36.28 −73.422
76 7.61 −73.213
arsenic 33 together 75 100 −73.032
selenium 34 Se 74 0.89 −72.213
76 9.37 −75.252
77 7.63 −74.599
78 23.77 −77.026
80 49.61 −77.759
82 8.73 −77.593
bromine 35 Br 79 50.69 −76.068
81 49.31 −77.974
krypton 36 Kr 78 0.35 −74.160
80 2.28 −77.893
82 11.58 −80.589
83 11.49 −79.982
84 57.00 −82.431
86 17.30 −83.266
rubidium 37 Rb 85 72.17 −82.168
87 27.83 −84.595
strontium 38 Sr 84 0.56 −80.644
86 9.86 −84.522
87 7.00 −84.878
88 82.58 −87.920
yttrium 39 Y 89 100 −87.702
zirconium 40 Zr 90 51.45 −88.768
91 11.22 −87.891
92 17.15 −88.455
94 17.38 −87.266
96 2.80 −85.441
niobium 41 Nb 93 100 −87.209
molybdenum 42 Mo 92 14.84 −86.805
94 9.25 −88.410
95 15.92 −87.708
96 16.68 −88.791
97 9.55 −87.541
98 24.13 −88.112
100 9.63 −86.184
ruthenium 44 Ru 96 5.54 −86.072
98 1.87 −88.224
99 12.76 −87.617
100 12.60 −89.219
101 17.06 −87.950
102 31.55 −89.098
104 18.62 −88.091
rhodium 45 Rh 103 100 −88.022
palladium 46 Pd 102 1.020 −87.926
104 11.14 −89.391
105 22.33 −88.414
106 27.33 −89.905
108 26.46 −89.522
110 11.72 −88.350
silver- 47 Ag 107 51.8392 −88.405
109 48.1608 −88.720
cadmium 48 Cd 106 1.25 −87.134
108 0.89 −89.253
110 12.49 −90.350
111 12.80 −89.254
112 24.13 −90.581
113 12.22 −89.050
114 28.73 −90.021
116 7.49 −88.720
indium 49 In 113 4.288 −89.366
115 95.712 −89.537
believe 50 Sn 112 0.973 −88.659
114 0.659 −90.558
115 0.339 −90.033
116 14.536 −91.525
117 7.676 −90.398
118 24.223 −91.653
119 8.585 −90.067
120 32.593 −91.103
122 4.629 −89.944
124 5.789 −88.236
antimony 51 Sb 121 57.213 −89.593
123 42.787 −89.222
tellurium 52 car 120 0.096 −89.405
122 2.603 −90.311
123 0.908 −89.169
124 4.816 −90.523
125 7.139 −89.028
126 18.952 −90.070
128 31.687 −88.994
130 33.799 −87.353
iodine 53 i 127 100 −88.987
xenon 54 Xe 124 0.08913 −87.658
126 0.08880 −89.173
128 1.91732 −89.861
129 26.43964 −89.697
130 4.08271 −89.881
131 21.17961 −88.416
132 26.89157 −89.280
134 10.44232 −88.124
136 8.86590 −86.424
cesium 55 Cs 133 100 −88.076
barium 56 Ba 130 0.1058 −87.271
132 0.1012 −88.440
134 2.417 −88.954
135 6.592 −87.856
136 7.853 −88.892
137 11.232 −87.727
138 71.699 −88.267
lanthanum 57 La 138 0.09017 −86.529
139 99.91 −87.236
cerium 58 Ce 136 0.186 −86.500
138 0.251 −87.574
140 88.449 −88.088
142 11.114 −84.543
praseodymium 59 Pr 141 100 −86.026
neodymium 60 Nd 142 27.16 −85.960
143 12.18 −84.012
144 23.83 −83.758
145 8.30 −81.442
146 17.17 −80.936
148 5.74 −77.418
150 5.62 −73.694
samarium 62 Sm 144 3.0734 −81.976
147 14.9934 −79.276
148 11.2406 −79.347
149 13.8189 −77.147
150 7.3796 −77.061
152 26.7421 −74.773
154 22.7520 −72.465
europium 63 Eu 151 47.810 −74.663
153 52.190 −73.377
gadolinium 64 Gd 152 0.2029 −74.717
154 2.1809 −73.716
155 14.7998 −72.080
156 20.4664 −72.545
157 15.6518 −70.834
158 24.8347 −0.700
160 21.8635 −67.952
terbium 65 Tb 159 100 −69.542
dysprosium 66 Dy 156 0.056 −70.534
158 0.096 −70.417
160 2.34 −69.682
161 18.91 −68.065
162 25.51 −68.190
163 24.90 −66.390
164 28.19 −65.977
holmium 67 Ho 165 100 −64.907
erbium 68 Er 162 0.137 −66.346
164 1.609 −65.953
166 33.61 −64.934
167 22.93 −63.299
168 26.79 −62.999
170 14.93 −60.118
thulium 69 Tm 169 100 −61.282
ytterbium 70 Yb 168 0.127 −61.577
170 3.04 −60.772
171 14.28 −59.315
172 21.83 −59.264
173 16.13 −57.560
174 31.83 −56.953
176 12.76 −53.497
lutetium 71 Lu 175 97.416 −55.174
176 2.584 −53.391
hafnium 72 Hf 174 0.1620 −55.852
176 5.604 −54.584
177 18.5953 −52.890
178 27.811 −52.445
179 13.6210 −50.473
180 35.0802 −49.790
tantalum 73 Ta 180 0.0123 −48.935
181 99.9877 −48.441
tungsten 74 W 180 0.1198 −49.643
182 26.4985 −48.246
183 14.3136 −46.366
184 30.6422 −45.706
186 28.4259 −42.511
rhenium 75 Re 185 37.398 −43.821
187 62.602 −41.218
osmium 76 Os 184 0.0197 −44.254
186 1.5859 −42.999
187 1.9644 −41.220
188 13.2434 −41.138
189 16.1466 −38.988
190 26.2584 −38.708
192 40.7815 −35.882
iridium 77 Ir 191 37.272 −36.709
193 62.728 −34.536
platinum 78 Pt 190 0.013634 −37.325
192 0.782659 −36.296
194 32.96700 −34.779
195 33.831557 −32.812
196 25.24166 −32.663
198 7.16349 −29.923
gold 79 Au 197 100 −31.157
mercury 80 Hg 196 0.15344 −31.843
198 9.968 −30.970
199 16.873 −29.563
200 23.096 −29.520
201 13.181 −27.679
202 29.863 −27.362
204 6.865 −24.707
thallium 81 Tl 203 29.524 −25.775
205 70.476 −23.834
command 82 Pb 204 1.4245 −25.123
206 24.1447 −23.801
207 22.0827 −22.467
208 52.3481 −21.764
bismuth 83 Bi 209 100 −18.273
thorium 90 Th 232 100 35.444
uranium 92 U 234 0.00548 38.141
235 0.7200 40.914
238 99.2745 47.304