AMU stands for atomic mass unit and is equal to one-twelfth the mass of a carbon-12 atom (in its ground state, that is, containing 6 protons and 6 neutrons ). 1 amu is equal to `1.66 xx 10^(-27)` kg. AMU is generally used to express the mass of atomic particles. AMU is a non-SI unit of mass. AMU, as used currently, refers to the unified amu and is also denoted as Dalton or D. The molecular mass of all the elements and compounds is reported in terms of amu. For example, by definition, a carbon atom has a mass of 12 amu and hydrogen has a mass of 1 amu. Similarly, a water molecule (containing 2 atoms of hydrogen and 1 atom of oxygen) has a molecular mass of 18 amu, etc.
Hope this helps.
No comments:
Post a Comment