EEE460-Handout K.E.

Holbert
ATOMIC NUMBER DENSITY


Number of Atoms (n) and Number Density (N)
The number of atoms or molecules (n) in a mass (m) of a pure material having atomic or molecular
weight (M) is easily computed from the following equation using Avogadro's number (N
Av
= 6.02210
23

atoms or molecules per gram-mole):

M
N m
n
Av
= (1)
In some situations, the atomic number density (N), which is the concentration of atoms or molecules per
unit volume (V), is an easier quantity to find when the density () is given

M
N
V
n
N
Av

= = (2)

Number Density for Compounds
For a chemical compound (mixture) Z, which is composed of elements X and Y, the number (atom) density
of the compound is calculated from

mix
Av mix
mix Z
M
N
N N

= = (3)
In some cases, the desired quantity is the number density of the compound constituents. Specifically, if
q p
Y X Z = , then there are p atoms of X and q atoms of Y for every molecule of Z; hence

Z Y
Z X
N q N
N p N
=
=
(4)
Example: Calculate the number density of natural uranium in UO
2
with
3
UO
g/cm 5 . 10
2
= .
3 22
23 3
UO
UO
UO U
atoms/cm 10 34 . 2
g/mol )] 9994 . 15 ( 2 0289 . 238 [
) atoms/mol 10 022 . 6 )( g/cm 5 . 10 (
2
2
2
=
+

= = =
M
N
N N
Av

Number Density Given Atom Fraction (Abundance)
Oftentimes, it is necessary to compute the concentration of an individual isotope j given its fractional
presence (abundance)
j
in the element

element the of atoms of number Total
j isotope of atoms of Number
j
= (5)
Many times, the fraction
j
is stated as an atom percent, which is abbreviated a/o. The atomic number
density of isotope j is then

elem
Av elem j
elem j j
M
N
N N

= = (6)
If the element has a non-natural abundance of its isotopes (that is, the elemental material is either enriched
or depleted), then it is necessary to compute the atomic weight of the element (M
elem
) from the sum of all the
atomic weights of the isotopes (M
j
) rather than use the tabulated M
elem
value found in a reference

=
j j elem
M M (7)
EEE460-Handout K.E. Holbert
Example: Find the U-235 concentration for 3 a/o in UO
2
.
Solution: To solve this example, Equations (4), (3) and (7) are progressively substituted into Eq. (6).
3 20
23 3 235
O 235 235 238 238
UO 235 - U
UO
UO
235 - U
UO 235 - U U 235 - U 235 - U
atoms/cm 10 03 . 7
g/mol )] 9994 . 15 ( 2 ) 03 . 0 )( 04 . 235 ( ) 97 . 0 )( 05 . 238 [(
) atoms/mol 10 022 . 6 )( g/cm 5 . 10 (
U - atoms
U atoms-
03 . 0
2

2
2
2
2
=
+ +

=
+ +
= =
= =
M M M
N
M
N
N N N
Av Av

Number Density Given Weight Fraction (Enrichment)
Other times, when working with nuclear fuels such as uranium, the enrichment may be specified in terms of
weight percent or weight fraction,
i
, of isotope i:

element the of mass Total
i isotope of Mass
i
= (8)
The atomic number density of isotope i is

i
Av elem i
i
Av i
i
M
N
M
N
N

= = (9)
Clearly, if the material is enriched, then the atomic weight of the material differs from its natural reference
value, and the enriched atomic weight, if needed, should be computed from

=
i i
i
elem
M M
1
(10)

Example: Find the U-235 concentration for 4% enriched UO
2
.
Solution: First, compute the molecular weight of the enriched uranium, which is basically 4% U-235 and
96% U-238 since the U-234 component is negligible.

g/mol 9 . 237
05 . 238
96 . 0
04 . 235
04 . 0 1
U
238 - U
238 - U
235 - U
235 - U
U
=
+ = + =
M
M M M


Next, use Equation (9) and the fact that
2
2
UO
U
UO U
M
M
=
3 20
2
235
3
2
23 235
UO
U
UO
235 - U
235 - U
235 - U
U 235 - U
235 - U
atoms/cm 10 49 . 9
UO - g )] 00 . 16 ( 2 9 . 237 [
U - g 9 . 237
U/mol g- 04 . 235
) /cm UO - g 5 . 10 )( atoms/mol 10 022 . 6 (
U - g
U g-
04 . 0
2
2
=

=
= =
M
M
M
N
M
N
N
Av Av