Gallium occurs in nature as a mixture of two isotopes: Ga-69 with 60.108% abundance and a mass of 68.926 amu and Ga-71 with 39.892% abundance and an atomic mass of 70.925 amu. Calculate the atomic mass of gallium.

To calculate the atomic mass of gallium, we'll use the weighted average formula:

\[
\text{Atomic Mass} = (\text{Fractional Abundance of Isotope 1} \times \text{Mass of Isotope 1}) + (\text{Fractional Abundance of Isotope 2} \times \text{Mass of Isotope 2})
\]

Given:
- Isotope 1: Ga-69 with a mass of 68.926 amu and a percent abundance of 60.108%.
- Isotope 2: Ga-71 with a mass of 70.925 amu and a percent abundance of 39.892%.

First, convert the percent abundances to fractional abundances:
- Fractional abundance of Ga-69 = \( \frac{60.108}{100} = 0.60108 \)
- Fractional abundance of Ga-71 = \( \frac{39.892}{100} = 0.39892 \)

Now, substitute these values into the formula:

\[
\text{Atomic Mass} = (0.60108 \times 68.926) + (0.39892 \times 70.925)
\]

Calculate each term:

\[
0.60108 \times 68.926 = 41.4421 \text{ amu}
\]
\[
0.39892 \times 70.925 = 28.2943 \text{ amu}
\]

Finally, add these two results together to find the atomic mass:

\[
\text{Atomic Mass} = 41.4421 + 28.2943 = 69.7364 \text{ amu}
\]

Therefore, the atomic mass of gallium is approximately **69.74 amu**.

Would you like further details or have any questions?

Here are some related questions to consider:
1. How do isotopes affect the physical and chemical properties of elements?
2. What role does atomic mass play in determining the molar mass of a compound?
3. How does the atomic mass of gallium compare to other elements in the same group?
4. How can the atomic mass of gallium be used in calculating the mass of a sample of gallium?
5. What are some applications of gallium and how does its isotopic composition impact these uses?

**Tip:** When dealing with isotopic abundances, always check that the sum of all fractional abundances equals 1. This ensures accuracy in your calculations.

Learn how to calculate the atomic mass of gallium using the weighted average formula. Ga-69 has a mass of 68.926 amu with 60.108% abundance, while Ga-71 has a mass of 70.925 amu with 39.892% abundance. Understand the process step-by-step with detailed calculations.

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