
The neutron is slightly heavier than the proton.There are two reasons for the difference between mass number and isotopic mass, known as the mass defect: For example, 63Cu (29 protons and 34 neutrons) has a mass number of 63, and an isotopic mass in its nuclear ground state is 62.91367 u. The isotopic mass usually differs for other isotopes and is usually within 0.1 u of the mass number. One unified atomic mass unit is approximately the mass of one nucleon (either a single proton or neutron) and is numerically equivalent to 1 g/mol.įor 12C, the atomic mass is exactly 12u since the atomic mass unit is defined from it. One atomic mass unit is equal to 1.66 x 10 -24 grams. The unit of measure for mass is the atomic mass unit (amu). Note that, each element may contain more isotopes, therefore this resulting atomic mass is calculated from naturally-occuring isotopes and their abundance.

See also: Properties of Potassium Atomic Mass of Potassium Potassium – Properties Element Potassium Atomic Number 19 Symbol K Element Category Alkali Metal Phase at STP Solid Atomic Mass 39.0983 Density at STP 0.856 Electron Configuration 4s1 Possible Oxidation States +1 Electron Affinity 48.4 Electronegativity 0.82 1st Ionization Energy 4.3407 Year of Discovery 1807 Discoverer Davy, Sir Humphry Thermal properties Melting Point 63.25 Boiling Point 760 Thermal Conductivity 102.4 Specific Heat 0.75 Heat of Fusion 2.334 Heat of Vaporization 79.87 K are found in all potassium, and it is the most common radioisotope in the human body. Naturally occurring potassium is composed of three isotopes, of which 40 All of the alkali metals have a single valence electron in the outer electron shell, which is easily removed to create an ion with a positive charge – a cation, which combines with anions to form salts.

In the periodic table, potassium is one of the alkali metals. Potassium was first isolated from potash, the ashes of plants, from which its name derives. Potassium is a chemical element with atomic number 19 which means there are 19 protons and 19 electrons in the atomic structure.
