The atomic mass of CH3COOH, which represents the chemical formula for acetic acid, can be calculated by summing up the atomic masses of its constituent elements.
The formula CH3COOH consists of carbon (C), hydrogen (H), and oxygen (O) atoms. The atomic masses of these elements are approximately:
Carbon (C): 12.01 atomic mass units (amu) Hydrogen (H): 1.008 amu Oxygen (O): 16.00 amu
To determine the atomic mass of CH3COOH, we add up the atomic masses of each element, taking into account the number of atoms present in the formula.
CH3COOH has one carbon atom, two hydrogen atoms, and two oxygen atoms.
Atomic mass of CH3COOH = (1 * C) + (2 * H) + (2 * O) = (1 * 12.01 amu) + (2 * 1.008 amu) + (2 * 16.00 amu) = 12.01 amu + 2.016 amu + 32.00 amu ≈ 46.026 amu
Therefore, the approximate atomic mass of CH3COOH is 46.026 amu.