No Chlorine Atom Weighs 35.45

You'll learnhow a mass spectrum's two axes explain an element's average atomic mass.

The periodic table prints 35.45 for chlorine, and not one chlorine atom weighs that. A mass spectrometer shows you where the decimal comes from, and it takes two readings to see it. Twelve short steps; press Next for each one.

12 STEPS · 6 QUICK CHECKS · CHLORINE, ROUNDED MASSES · v3

two peaks · two readings · one weighted average

Before you start

What you're looking at

An empty mass spectrum, axes only, and the value the periodic table prints for chlorine.

The question

Where does 35.45 come from when every real chlorine atom is either 35 or 37?

Step 1 / 12