Calculate the mass defect in Mo-96 if the mass of a Mo-96 nucleus is 95.962 amu.The mass of a proton is 1.00728 amu and the mass of a neutron is 1.008665 amu.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The mass defect is calculated by subtracting the actual mass of the nucleus from the sum of the masses of its protons and neutrons. Mo-96 has 42 protons (since Mo is the 42nd element) and 54 neutrons (96 - 42 = 54). The total mass of protons and neutrons is (42 * 1.00728 amu) + (54 * 1.008665 amu) = 42.30576 amu + 54.46811 amu = 96.77387 amu. The mass defect is 96.77387 amu - 95.962 amu = 0.81187 amu, which rounds to 0.812 amu.

Calculate the Mass Defect in Mo-96 If the Mass of a Mo-96