Unraveling the Building Blocks: Dalton's Atomic Theory, Atomic Mass, Molecular Mass and Formula Mass Explained in Detail
1. Dalton's Atomic Theory
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JOHN DALTON |
John Dalton proposed the modern atomic theory in 1803. Key points:
1. Atoms are indivisible: Atoms cannot be divided into smaller particles.
2. Atoms are identical: Atoms of the same element have identical properties.
3. Atoms have mass: Atoms have a specific mass.
4. Atoms combine in whole numbers: Atoms combine in simple whole-number ratios to form compounds.
5. Chemical reactions involve atom rearrangement: Atoms are rearranged during chemical reactions, not created or destroyed.
Example
Hydrogen gas (H2) consists of two identical hydrogen atoms.
2. Atomic Mass
Atomic mass is the mass of a single atom of an element, measured in atomic mass units (amu).
1. Protons, neutrons and electrons: Atomic mass includes protons, neutrons and electrons.
2. Isotopes: Atoms with the same number of protons (atomic number) but different numbers of neutrons.
3. Average atomic mass: Weighted average of isotopic masses.
Example
Hydrogen atomic mass = 1.00794 amu (proton + electron + neutron)
3. Average Atomic Mass
Average atomic mass accounts for naturally occurring isotopes.
1. Weighted average: Calculates the average mass based on isotope abundance.
2. Isotopic variation: Reflects the mixture of isotopes in natural elements.
Example
Chlorine average atomic mass = 35.453 amu (75.78% Cl-35, 24.22% Cl-37)
4. Molecular Mass
Molecular mass is the sum of atomic masses in a molecule.
1. Molecular weight: Synonymous with molecular mass.
2. Sum of atomic masses: Calculates the total mass of atoms in a molecule.
Example
Water (H2O) molecular mass = 2(1.00794) + 15.9994 = 18.0153 amu
5. Formula Mass
Formula mass applies to ionic compounds and molecular formulas.
1. Sum of atomic masses: Calculates the total mass of atoms in a formula.
2. Ionic compounds: Includes ions and their charges.
Example
Sodium chloride (NaCl) formula mass = 22.9898 + 35.453 = 58.4428 amu
Key Differences
1. Atomic mass: Single atom mass.
2. Average atomic mass: Weighted average of isotopes.
3. Molecular mass: Sum of atomic masses in a molecule.
4. Formula mass: Sum of atomic masses in a compound's formula.
Importance of Understanding atomic and molecular mass concepts is crucial for:
1. Chemical calculations
2. Stoichiometry
3. Molecular structure
4. Chemical reactions
5. Materials science
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