Lab 2B: Atomic Mass of Candiu

Lab 2B: Atomic Mass of Candium

The purpose of the Atomic Mass of Candium Lab was to practice calculating atomic mass using the percentage of how abundant the isotope is. In the lab, we were given three different isotopes of the element cadmium: regular, pretzel, and peanut. We measured the mass of each type of isotope and counted the the amount of each type of the isotopes. Next, we determined the average mass of each isotope by dividing the total mass of the isotope by the number of each type of isotope. When we had the average mass of the isotopes we had to determine the abundance of each type. To do this, we counted all the samples of candium and used the number of isotopes to find the percentage. Then we used the formula below to calculate the average atomic mass; the average atomic mass of candium is 1.356 amu.

Question 1: The differences between the average atomic masses between groups is a result of the small sample size. Because of the small sample size, outlier data had a greater affect on the data, something which would not cause a problem if the sample size was large.

Question 2: The differences between the groups average atomic masses would be smaller if given a larger sample size, because outlying data would not have such a drastic effect on the results. For example, when scientists took the average atomic mass of elements they used a very large sample size and compared it to every form of the element on Earth.

The different isotopes of candium.

Question 3: No, because the average atomic mass is calculated after recording many samples of candium, so it would not have the same mass.

The element Candium on the periodic table.