Average mass

{
  "id": "MLC-T-CHM-001023",
  "term": "Average mass",
  "field": "Chemistry",
  "definition": "The mass calculated for an ion or molecule by weighting each isotope of every element by its natural abundance, so that it reflects the isotopic composition of the whole population rather than one isotopic species. For an element it is the value listed on the periodic table, and for a molecule it is the sum of the elemental values. It contrasts with the monoisotopic mass, which uses only the most abundant isotope of each element.",
  "subject": "Analytical Chemistry",
  "see_also": [
    "monoisotopic mass"
  ],
  "references": [
    "PAC, 2013, 85, 1515. 'Definitions of terms relating to mass spectrometry (IUPAC Recommendations 2013)' on page 1524 (https://doi.org/10.1351/PAC-REC-06-04-06)"
  ],
  "url": "https://mlchart.com/terminology/chemistry/average-mass/"
}