CHEM 110B Homework 1
Name:______________________ Section:_____________________
TA:________________________ Date:_______________________
Answers are provided on the last page of each homework assignment, thus you must provide work to
support your answers. Grading policies can be found in Canvas at the top of the Homework page. Briefly,
homework will sometimes be graded for completeness and neatness and sometimes for accuracy. Your
work must be handwritten, and your name, TA, section number, and date must appear on each page.
You may work together but your answers must be in your own words.
Please submit a scanned or photographed copy of your handwritten work as a PDF/DOCX/DOC file via
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1. Put the following measurements in order of increasing length. Show all work to support your answer
0.0010 km
106 cm
1.0 x 108 µm
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2. Calculate the answer to each expression below. Report your answer using the correct number of
significant figures.
a. 251.253 + 10.12
b. 251.253 − 10.12
c. (251.253)(10.12)
251.253
d.
10.12
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3. Round the answer to the calculation shown below to the correct number of significant figures.
(1.025)(1.63)(94.0 + 18.13 − 4.6)
= 20.12949552
8.925
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4. Which contains more neutrons, an atom of 59Co or 59Ni? Briefly explain your answer.
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5. How many protons, electrons, and neutrons does a 57Fe3+ ion have? Briefly explain your answer.
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CHEM 110B Homework 1
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6. A scientist isolates a sample of bromine from an oceanic sample. The mass spectrometry data for
the sample is shown below with two peaks for each of bromine’s stable isotopes (79Br and 81Br).
Based on the spectrum below and the atomic weight of bromine, would the ratio of bromine
isotopes in the oceanic sample match the ratio found in a typical surface sample on Earth? Show
calculations to support your answer.
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7. Magnesium exists as three isotopes, 24Mg, 25Mg, and 26Mg. Determine the relative abundance of
24
Mg given that the relative abundance of 26Mg is 11.01%. The isotopic masses of each isotope are
given below. Show all work to support your answer.
Isotope Isotopic Mass
24
Mg 23.9850 amu
25
Mg 24.9858 amu
26
Mg 25.9826 amu
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CHEM 110B Homework 1
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8. On average, a bottle of wine contains 101.25 mL of ethanol, C2H6O. Use this information to answer
the following questions. Show all calculations for each question.
a. How many grams of ethanol are in a bottle of wine if the density of ethanol is 0.789 g/mL?
b. What is the molar mass of ethanol?
c. How many moles of ethanol are in one bottle of wine?
d. How many molecules of ethanol are in one bottle of wine?
e. How many carbon atoms are in one bottle of wine?
f. How many moles of carbon atoms are in one bottle of wine?
g. How many grams of carbon atoms are in one bottle of wine?
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9. A sub-scale rocket is launched, and 12.5 L of nitrous oxide (N2O) is released as exhaust. If the density
of nitrous oxide is 1.22 g/L, how many atoms of nitrogen were present in the exhaust?
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10. Shown below is the mass spectrum for neon that we saw in Lecture 2. The mass number of the neon
isotope that gives rise to each peak is indicated. The percentage next to each peak indicates the
relative area under each peak; this also corresponds to the percent abundance of each neon
isotope.
a. Assuming that the atomic mass of each isotope is precisely equal to its mass number, estimate
the average atomic weight of neon to at least two decimal places. Show work to support your
answer.
b. Is your answer in (a) consistent with the value in the periodic table? If there is a discrepancy the
two values, propose a possible explanation to account for it.
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[Answers provided on the next page.]
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CHEM 110B Homework 1
Answers:
1. 0.0010 km < 1.0 x 108 µm < 106 cm
2. (a) 261.37; (b) 241.13; (c) 2543; (d) 24.83
3. 20.1 (or 2.01 x 101)
59
4. Co
5. 26 protons, 31 neutrons, and 23 electrons.
6. No, the isotopic concentration in the oceanic sample does not match a typical sample of
bromine found on earth.
7. 0.7899 (or 78.99% ≈ 79%)
8. (a) 79.9 g; (b) 46.1 g/mol; (c) 1.73 mol; (d) 1.04 * 1024 molecules of ethanol; (e) 2.09 * 1024
molecules of carbon atoms; (f) 3.47 moles of carbon atoms; (g) 41.6 grams of carbon
9. 4.17 * 1023 atoms of nitrogen
11. (a) 20.1877 ≈ 20.19 amu; (b) The values are very close, the value in the periodic table is 20.18
amu. The most likely cause for the difference is the assumption that the isotopic masses
precisely equal the mass numbers (other answers are possible).
