Dalton (unit)

The dalton or unified atomic mass unit (symbol: Da, amu or u) is a unit of measurement for measuring the mass of atoms, equalling ¹⁄₁₂ of the mass of the carbon-12 isotope, the most abundant form of carbon atoms in nature. 



History

The unit is named after English chemist and physicist John Dalton (1766 – 1844). 1 atomic mass unit is approximately 1.66 × 10-27 kg, or 1.66 × 10-24 g.

Atomic physics

In atomic physics, 1 amu can be expressed as roughly 931 MeV (M = 106, 1 eV ≈ 1.60 × 10-19 J) due to mass-energy equivalence, illustrated by ΔE = Δmc2.

Related pages

 Nuclear physics
 Quantum physics
 Electromagnetism
 Radioactive decay
 Nuclear binding energy

References

Category:Physics
Category:Chemistry
Category:Units of mass
Category:Analytical chemistry