ISOTOPES AND ATOMS: October 26, 2010

Today we learned about Isotopes! We have already learned that ions are atoms that are either missing or have extra electrons. Let's say an atom is missing a neutron or has an extra neutron. That type of atom is called an isotope. An atom is still the same element if it is missing an electron. The same goes for isotopes. They are still the same element. They are just a little different from every other atom of the same element.

*Note: the most common ion charge is listed on top (if theres 2 or more charges)

* Atomic mass - Atomic number = # of neutrons

*If you are given the atomic number and number of neutrons, add them to get the mass number

A decimal found in the atomic mass is an average of the isotopes

Going good so far? Great.

Mass spectrometry (MS) is an analytical technique that measures the mass-to-charge ratio of charged particles.^[1] It is used for determining masses of particles, for determining the elemental composition of a sample or molecule, and for elucidating the chemical structures of molecules, such as peptides and other chemical compounds. The MS principle consists of ionizing chemical compounds to generate charged molecules or molecule fragments and measurement of their mass-to-charge ratios.^[1] In a typical MS procedure:

1. A sample is loaded onto the MS instrument, and undergoes vaporization
2. The components of the sample are ionized by one of a variety of methods (e.g., by impacting them with an electron beam), which results in the formation of charged particles (ions)
3. The ions are separated according to their mass-to-charge ratio in an analyzer by electromagnetic fields
4. The ions are detected, usually by a quantitative method
5. The ion signal is processed into mass spectra

-Source: Wikipedia

Now its your turn! Fill out the chart on isotopes!

Answers: Row 1: 28 neutrons. Row 2: Mn(Manganese) Protons:25 Netruons: 31 Row 3: Mass # 12, Atomic #:6, # of protons: 6, # of neutrons 6

Post by Ren Flores