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Reading Two Signals at the Same Detector Mark 4 questions
Reading Two Signals at the Same Detector Mark
Base your answers on the information provided and your knowledge of chemistry. Use the 2025 Chemistry Reference Tables as needed.
A classroom detector places an ion at a mark equal to its mass number divided by the size of its charge. A +1 charge has size 1 and a +2 charge has size 2. The display compares neon-20 ions with argon-40 ions. The label at a mark gives the ratio, not the mass number by itself.
| Ion | Mass number | Charge |
|---|---|---|
| Neon-20 | 20 | +1 |
| Argon-40 | 40 | +2 |
| Argon-40 | 40 | +1 |
Question 1
Which ions appear together at mark 20 under the stated model?
- The two argon ions only
- Neon-20 with charge +1 and argon-40 with charge +2
- Neon-20 with charge +1 and argon-40 with charge +1
- All three ions
Question 2
Explain why two ions with different mass numbers can produce one mark in this model.
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An unknown sample initially gives just one peak at 20. The simulation reruns it with a setting that gives every ion charge +1. It keeps the same atoms and reports peaks at 20 and 40.
Question 3
Use the new setting to explain why the two marks reveal more than the single mark at 20 did.
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Question 4
Use the periodic table to compare the electron counts of the original neon-20 +1 ion and argon-40 +2 ion.
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