To determine the atomic mass of CO2 (carbon dioxide), we need to sum up the atomic masses of the individual atoms in the molecule.
The molecular formula of carbon dioxide (CO2) indicates that it consists of one carbon atom (C) and two oxygen atoms (O). The atomic masses of carbon and oxygen are approximately:
Carbon (C) atomic mass ≈ 12.01 atomic mass units (u) Oxygen (O) atomic mass ≈ 16.00 atomic mass units (u)
To calculate the atomic mass of CO2, we multiply the atomic mass of carbon by one and the atomic mass of oxygen by two, and then sum the results:
Atomic mass of CO2 = (1 × Atomic mass of C) + (2 × Atomic mass of O) = (1 × 12.01 u) + (2 × 16.00 u) = 12.01 u + 32.00 u = 44.01 u
Therefore, the atomic mass of carbon dioxide (CO2) is approximately 44.01 atomic mass units (u).