Transcript The Atomic Mass Unit The atomic mass unit

The atomic mass unit (amu) is the unit by means of which the mass of atoms
and molecules are expressed. The atomic mass unit is sometimes called the
dalton, Da.
By definition, the atomic mass of the carbon isotope 12C (i.e., a carbon atom
whose nucleus consists of 6 protons and 6 neutrons) is exactly 12 atomic mass
units.
It follows that 1 atomic mass unit = 1/12 x mass of one 12C atom. Since one
atom has a mass of 1.9926 x 10-26 kg, it follows that 1 amu = 1.9926 x 1026/12 = 1.6605 x 10-27 kg.
This quantity is known as the atomic mass constant, mu.
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Relative atomic
masses
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Relative molecular
masses
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