Before 1961, the standard for atomic masses was the isotope 16O, to which physicists assigned a

Question

Before 1961, the standard for atomic masses was the isotope ¹⁶O, to which physicists assigned a value of exactly 16. At the same time, chemists assigned a value of exactly 16 to the naturally occurring mixture of the isotopes ¹⁶O, ¹⁷O, and ¹⁸O. Would you expect atomic masses listed in a 60-year-old text to be the same, generally higher, or generally lower than in this text? Explain.

Junaid · Accepted Answer

Older chemistry textbooks list oxygen's atomic mass as precisely 16 u, higher than modern 15.9994 u. Other masses similarly adjusted.

In a 60-year-old chemistry textbook, the atomic mass for oxygen would be exactly 16 u because chemists assigned precisely 16 u as the atomic mass of the naturally occurring mixture of oxygen isotopes. This value is slightly higher than the value of 15.9994 in modern chemistry textbooks. Thus, we would expect all other atomic masses to be slightly higher as well in the older textbooks.

Older chemistry textbooks list oxygen's atomic mass as precisely 16 u, higher than modern 15.9994 u. Other masses similarly adjusted.

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Before 1961, the standard for atomic masses was the isotope 16O, to which physicists assigned a

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