Elements isotopic masses

Element Isotope Mass Abundance (% Abundance) Species... 

Imparity element isotopic mass jl08. Neutral hydrogen isotopic mass III.00... 

Element Isotope Mass No. Type of Decay Half Life... 

Q1, Americium Am at. wt (most stable isotope) 243 at no. 95 valence 3 4, 5, 6, Completely man-made element. Isotopes (mass numbers) 237-246 all are radioactive, First isotope prepared (Tw 458 years a-emit ... 

Element Isotope Mass number Exact mass... 

Element Isotope Mass (in u) Natural Abundance (%) Primary Decay Process Half-Life... 

Element Isotope Mass Abundance Element Isotope Mass Abimdance... 

Though individual atoms always have an integer number of amus, the atomic mass on the periodic table is stated as a decimal number because it is an average of the various isotopes of an element. Isotopes can have a weight either more or less than the average. The average number of neutrons for an element can be found by subtracting the number of protons (atomic number) from the atomic mass. 

Elemental isotopic compositions (isotope ratios) can be used mass spectrometrically in a routine sense to monitor a substance for the presence of different kinds of elements, as with chlorine or platinum. It can also be used in a precise sense to examine tiny variations in these ratios, from which important deductions can be made in a wide variety of disciplines. 

These isotope masses and their ratio of abundances are characteristic of carbon. Similarly, the isotopes of other elements that occur naturally have fixed ratios of isotopes, as given in Tables 47.1 and 47.2 at the end of the accompanying full text. 

In its simplest form, a mass spectrometer is an instmment that measures the mass-to-charge ratios ml of ions formed when a sample is ionized by one of a number of different ionization methods (1). If some of the sample molecules are singly ionized and reach the ion detector without fragmenting, then the ml ratio of these ions gives a direct measurement of the molecular weight. The first instmment for positive ray analysis was built by Thompson (2) in 1913 to show the existence of isotopic forms of the stable elements. Later, mass spectrometers were used for precision measurements of ionic mass and abundances (3,4). 

The physical and thermodynamic properties of elemental hydrogen and deuterium and of their respective oxides illustrate the effect of isotopic mass differences. 

In the process of SNMS analysis, sputtered atoms are ionized while passii through the ionizer and are accelerated into the mass spectrometer for mass analysis. The ion currents of the analyzed ions are measured and recorded as a function of mass while stepping the mass spectrometer through the desired mass or element sequence. If the purpose of the analysis is to develop a depth profile to characterize the surface and subsurface regions of the sample, the selected sequence is repeated a number of times to record the variation in ion current of a selected elemental isotope as the sample surfiice is sputtered away. 

Qualitatively, the spark source mass spectrum is relatively simple and easy to interpret. Most instrumentation has been designed to operate with a mass resolution Al/dM of about 1500. For example, at mass M= 60 a difference of 0.04 amu can be resolved. This is sufficient for the separation of most hydrocarbons from metals of the same nominal mass and for precise mass determinations to identify most species. Each exposure, as described earlier and shown in Figure 2, covers the mass range from Be to U, with the elemental isotopic patterns clearly resolved for positive identification. 

Detection limits in ICPMS depend on several factors. Dilution of the sample has a lai e effect. The amount of sample that may be in solution is governed by suppression effects and tolerable levels of dissolved solids. The response curve of the mass spectrometer has a large effect. A typical response curve for an ICPMS instrument shows much greater sensitivity for elements in the middle of the mass range (around 120 amu). Isotopic distribution is an important factor. Elements with more abundant isotopes at useful masses for analysis show lower detection limits. Other factors that affect detection limits include interference (i.e., ambiguity in identification that arises because an elemental isotope has the same mass as a compound molecules that may be present in the system) and ionization potentials. Elements that are not efficiently ionized, such as arsenic, suffer from poorer detection limits. 

In addition to the wet and optical spectrometric methods, which are often used to analyse elements present in very small proportions, there are also other techniques which can only be mentioned here. One is the method of mass spectrometry, in which the proportions of separate isotopes can be measured this can be linked to an instrument called a field-ion microscope, in which as we have seen individual atoms can be observed on a very sharp hemispherical needle tip through the mechanical action of a very intense electric field. Atoms which have been ionised and detached can then be analysed for isotopic mass. This has become a powerful device for both curiosity-driven and applied research. 

At the same time it is recognized that the pairs of substances which, on mixing, are most likely to obey Raoult s law are those whose particles are most nearly alike and therefore interchangeable. Obviously no species of particles is likely to fulfill this condition better than the isotopes of an element. Among the isotopes of any element the only difference between the various particles is, of course, a nuclear difference among the isotopes of a heavy element the mass difference is trivial and the various species of particles are interchangeable. Whether the element is in its liquid or solid form, the isotopes of a heavy element form an ideal solution. Before discussing this problem we shall first consider the solution of a solid solute in a liquid solvent. 

Relate the atomic mass of an element to isotopic masses and abundances. 

Parenthetical names refer to radioactive elements the mass number (not the atomic weight) of the Isotope with largest half-life is usually given. 

If the sample consists of atoms of one element, the mass spectrum gives the isotopic distribution of the sample. The relative molar masses of the isotopes can be determined by comparison with atoms of carbon-12. If the sample is a compound, the formula and structure of the compound can be determined by studying the fragments. For example, the + 1 ions that CH4 could produce are CH4, CH3+, CH, CFI4, C+, and H4. Some of the particles that strike the detector are those that result when the molecule simply loses an electron (for example, to produce Cl I4+ from methane) ... 

State-of-the-art TOF-SIMS instruments feature surface sensitivities well below one ppm of a mono layer, mass resolutions well above 10,000, mass accuracies in the ppm range, and lateral and depth resolutions below 100 nm and 1 nm, respectively. They can be applied to a wide variety of materials, all kinds of sample geometries, and to both conductors and insulators without requiring any sample preparation or pretreatment. TOF-SIMS combines high lateral and depth resolution with the extreme sensitivity and variety of information supplied by mass spectrometry (all elements, isotopes, molecules). This combination makes TOF-SIMS a unique technique for surface and thin film analysis, supplying information which is inaccessible by any other surface analytical technique, for example EDX, AES, or XPS. 

Elemental molar mass = (Fractional abundance) (Isotopic molar mass)... 

Different isotopes differ in their atomic masses. The intensities of the signals from different isotopic ions allow isotopic abundances to be determined with high accuracy. Mass spectrometry reveals that the isotopic abundances in elemental samples from different sources have slightly different values. Isotopic ratios vary because isotopes with different masses have slightly different properties for example, they move at slightly different speeds. These differences have tiny effects at the level of parts per ten thousand (0.0001). The effects are too small to appear as variations In the elemental molar masses. Nevertheless, high-precision mass spectrometry can measure relative abundances of isotopes to around 1 part in 100,000. 

What convinces scientists that sustained fission once occurred at Oklo is the presence of characteristic fission products in the ore. Elements of mass numbers between 75 and 160 occur in the ore in larger amounts than elsewhere. Furthermore, mass analysis of the elements in Oklo ore shows that they are distributed in the characteristic pattern shown in Figure 22-12. This isotopic signature, which is not found in any other naturally occurring materials, is so characteristic that it has convinced most scientists that the ore deposits at Oklo once formed a huge nuclear reactor. 

The state mixing term, the first in the r.h.s., usually dominates, at least in the presence of avoided crossings. Its determination reduces to a simple problem of interpolation of the Hu matrix elements, according to eq.(16). The second term corresponds, for large R, to the electron translation factor (see for instance [38]). This term depends on the choice of the reference frame that is, for baricentric frames, it depends on the isotopic masses. It contains the Gn matrix, which may be determined by numerical differentiation of the quasi-diabatic wavefunctions [16] this calculation is more demanding, especially in the case of many internal coordinates. It is therefore interesting to adopt the approximation ... 

Note The nucleus of each element may have more than one neutron/proton ratio (different isotopes) in the table are presented the most abundant stable isotopes of some elements and the number before their symbols represents very approximately the mass of that isotope (mass number, A). 

When we look at a mass spectrum we can observe that a single peak is never isolated but there is one or more small peaks accompanying it to its right (Figure 2.16). These peaks are due to the isotopes of the elements. Isotopes are atoms of the same element that have the same number of protons and electrons but a different number of neutrons. The total number of protons and neutrons constitutes the mass number and it is indicated as a superscript preceding the atomic symbol, i.e. 1H, 12C, 23Na. 

Each type of atom is designated by the atomic number, Z, and a symbol derived from the name of the element. The mass number, A, is the whole number nearest to the mass of that species. For example, the mass number of H is 1, although the actual mass of this isotope is 1.00794 atomic mass units (amu). Because protons and neutrons have masses that are essentially the same (both are approximately 1 atomic mass unit, amu), the mass number of the species minus the atomic number gives the number of neutrons, which is denoted as N. Thus, for 157N, the nucleus contains seven protons and eight neutrons. 

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