Eli5:How do isotopes naturally occur

426 viewsChemistryOther

And how do scientists measure the average amount of molecular mass for each atom, they cant check every atom of the particular element in the universe to determine its molecular mass , and if scientists take samples from areas rich in a particular type of isotopes, wouldnt it affect the total average molecular mass of an element.

In: Chemistry

4 Answers

Anonymous 0 Comments

The average mass is just for earth, baring any anomalies like naturally occurring reactors, the isotope distribution does not vary much, as most of the stuff on earth has been here for the same time.

So you just take a couple of samples from all over the planet, and determine the isotopes of an element, and in virtually all cases the distribution is doing to be near identical.

You are viewing 1 out of 4 answers, click here to view all answers.