What is the average mass of a single argon atom in grams?

• A. 6.63 imes 10^{-23} ext{ g}
• B. 1.66 imes 10^{-22} ext{ g}
• C. 9.99 imes 10^{-25} ext{ g}
• D. 3.32 imes 10^{-24} ext{ g}

Answer: (A)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Identify the atomic mass of argon from the periodic table, which is approximately 39.95 atomic mass units (amu).
2. Recall that 1 atomic mass unit (amu) is defined as exactly 1.66053906660 \times 10^{-24} grams.
3. Use the conversion formula to find the mass of a single argon atom in grams: \(\text{mass of one atom} = \text{atomic mass (amu)} \times 1.66053906660 \times 10^{-24} \text{ g/amu}\).
4. Multiply the atomic mass of argon by the conversion factor to get the mass of one argon atom in grams.
5. Express the result in scientific notation to match the format of the answer choices.