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Related Experiment Videos

Nominal Mass?

Athula B Attygalle1, Julius Pavlov2

  • 1Center for Mass Spectrometry, Department Biomedical Engineering, Chemistry, and Biological Sciences, Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken, NJ, 07030, USA. aattygal@stevens.edu.

Journal of the American Society for Mass Spectrometry
|April 13, 2017
PubMed
Summary

The definition of nominal mass is flawed. We propose a new definition based on the sum of proton and neutron masses, allowing definitive identification of all isotopes and isotopologues.

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Area of Science:

  • Chemistry
  • Chemical Physics
  • Mass Spectrometry

Background:

  • The current International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) definition of nominal mass relies on the most abundant naturally occurring stable isotope.
  • This definition presents limitations in accurately identifying and differentiating various isotopic species.

Discussion:

  • Proposes a revised definition of nominal mass as the sum of the integer masses of protons and neutrons for any chemical species.
  • This new definition offers a universal and unambiguous method for assigning identifiers to isotopes and isotopologues.
  • Addresses the ambiguity and potential errors associated with the current IUPAC standard.

Key Insights:

  • A revised definition of nominal mass provides a more robust and universally applicable identifier.

Related Experiment Videos

  • The proposed definition facilitates precise identification of all isotopes and isotopologues.
  • Overcomes the limitations of the current IUPAC standard for nominal mass.

    • Outlook:

    • Potential for adoption in mass spectrometry and other analytical techniques requiring precise mass identification.
    • Facilitates clearer communication and data interpretation in chemical and physical sciences.
    • Enables the development of more sophisticated databases and computational tools for chemical species identification.