Calculate the mass defect for the formation of phosphorus-31. The mass of a phosphorus-31 mucleus is 30.973765 amu. The masses of a proton and a neutron are 1.00728 and 1.00866 amu, respectively
Can't you add up the mass of the neutrons, add to the mass of the protons, and subtract from 30.973765?
To calculate the mass defect for the formation of phosphorus-31, we first need to determine the total mass of the protons and neutrons in the nucleus.
Phosphorus-31 has 15 protons and 16 neutrons.
Mass of protons = 15 protons × 1.00728 amu/proton
Mass of neutrons = 16 neutrons × 1.00866 amu/neutron
Next, we add the mass of protons and neutrons to get the total mass of the nucleus.
Total mass of the nucleus = (Mass of protons) + (Mass of neutrons)
Once we have the total mass of the nucleus, we can compare it to the actual mass of the phosphorus-31 nucleus (given as 30.973765 amu) to find the mass defect.
Mass defect = Actual mass of the nucleus - Total mass of the nucleus
Let's calculate that:
Mass of protons = 15 protons × 1.00728 amu/proton = 15.1084 amu
Mass of neutrons = 16 neutrons × 1.00866 amu/neutron = 16.13856 amu
Total mass of the nucleus = 15.1084 amu + 16.13856 amu = 31.24696 amu
Mass defect = 30.973765 amu - 31.24696 amu = -0.273195 amu
The mass defect for the formation of phosphorus-31 is approximately -0.273195 amu.