Question
Silicon has three naturally occurring isotopes. Will the average atomic mass be closer to 28, 29, or 30?
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30
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28
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30
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28
Answers
GPT-4o mini
To determine whether the average atomic mass of silicon will be closer to 28, 29, or 30, we can consider the isotopes of silicon:
- Silicon-28 (Si-28) has an atomic mass of about 28 atomic mass units (amu) and is the most abundant isotope.
- Silicon-29 (Si-29) has an atomic mass of about 29 amu and is less abundant than Si-28.
- Silicon-30 (Si-30) has an atomic mass of about 30 amu and is the least abundant among the three isotopes.
Since Si-28 is the most abundant, the average atomic mass of silicon will be closer to 28 than to 29 or 30.
Therefore, the average atomic mass of silicon will be closest to **28**.
- Silicon-28 (Si-28) has an atomic mass of about 28 atomic mass units (amu) and is the most abundant isotope.
- Silicon-29 (Si-29) has an atomic mass of about 29 amu and is less abundant than Si-28.
- Silicon-30 (Si-30) has an atomic mass of about 30 amu and is the least abundant among the three isotopes.
Since Si-28 is the most abundant, the average atomic mass of silicon will be closer to 28 than to 29 or 30.
Therefore, the average atomic mass of silicon will be closest to **28**.