17. From the isotopic composition given in the table below, calculate the average atomic mass of chlorine. & Chlorine-35 & Chlorine-37 Atomic Mass & 34.969 & 36.966 Abundance & 75.78 % & 24.22 % 34.969 mathrm(amu) 35.453 mathrm(amu) 36.966 mathrm(amu) 35.000 mathrm(amu)

## Step 1: Understand the Concept of Average Atomic Mass<br />### The average atomic mass of an element is calculated by taking into account the masses of its isotopes and their relative abundances. The formula used is:<br />\[<br />\text{Average Atomic Mass} = (\text{Mass of Isotope 1} \times \text{Abundance of Isotope 1}) + (\text{Mass of Isotope 2} \times \text{Abundance of Isotope 2})<br />\]<br /><br />## Step 2: Convert Abundances to Decimal Form<br />### The given abundances are in percentage form, so we need to convert them to decimal form for calculation:<br />- For Chlorine-35: \(75.78\% = 0.7578\)<br />- For Chlorine-37: \(24.22\% = 0.2422\)<br /><br />## Step 3: Calculate Contribution of Each Isotope<br />### Multiply the atomic mass of each isotope by its abundance (in decimal form):<br />- Contribution of Chlorine-35: \(34.969 \times 0.7578 = 26.498\)<br />- Contribution of Chlorine-37: \(36.966 \times 0.2422 = 8.957\)<br /><br />## Step 4: Sum the Contributions to Find the Average Atomic Mass<br />### Add the contributions from both isotopes to find the average atomic mass:<br />\[<br />\text{Average Atomic Mass} = 26.498 + 8.957 = 35.455<br />\]<br /><br />## Step 5: Compare with Given Options<br />### The calculated average atomic mass is approximately \(35.453\) amu, which matches one of the provided options.