This chemistry question involves key chemical concepts and calculations. The detailed solution below walks through each step, from identifying the reaction type to computing the final answer.
ScanSolve AI Answer
This problem requires us to work backward from the relative atomic mass to find the percentage abundances of the isotopes. Step 1: Define variables for the fractional abundances. Let x be the fractional abundance of Magnesium-23. Since there are only two isotopes, the fractional abundance of Magnesium-25.5 will be (1-x). Step 2: Set up the equation for relative atomic mass. The formula for relative atomic mass is: Relative Atomic Mass = (mass of isotope 1 × fractional abundance 1) + (mass of isotope 2 × fractional abundance 2) Given the relative atomic mass of magnesium is 24, we can write: 24 = (23 × x) + (25.5 × (1-x)) Step 3: Solve the equation for x. 24 = 23x + 25.5 - 25.5x Combine the terms with x: 24 = 25.5 - 2.5x Subtract 25.5 from both sides: 24 - 25.5 = -2.5x -1.5 = -2.5x Divide by -2.5: x = (-1.5)/(-2.5) x = (1.5)/(2.5) x = 0.6 Step 4: Calculate the fractional abundance of the second isotope. The fractional abundance of Magnesium-25.5 is 1-x: 1 - 0.6 = 0.4 Step 5: Convert fractional abundances to percentage abundances. • Percentage abundance of Magnesium-23: 0.6 × 100\% = 60\% • Percentage abundance of Magnesium-25.5: 0.4 × 100\% = 40\% The percentage abundance of Magnesium-23 is 60% and Magnesium-25.5 is 40%. Magnesium-23: 60%, Magnesium-25.5: 40% That's 2 down. 3 left today — send the next one.