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An ode to the atomic weights

Nature Chemistry volume 6, pages 749–750 (2014)Cite this article

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They might not be fundamental constants of nature, but atomic weights are one of the foundations on which modern chemistry is built, explains Juris Meija.

Atomic weight is part of the fabric of chemistry, much like J. S. Bach is when it comes to classical music. The concept of atomic weights appears on classical science curricula, and plays its small, yet important, role in popular culture. Think of the episode of The Simpsons television series in which Edna Krabappel asks “who can tell me the atomic weight of bolognium”, or the final clue in Dan Brown's debut novel Digital Fortress, which has to do with the atomic weight of uranium.

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  1. Juris Meija is the Chairman of the IUPAC Commission on Isotopic Abundances and Atomic Weights and is at the National Research Council Canada, 1200 Montreal Road, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0R6, Canada,

    Juris Meija

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  1. Juris Meija
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Correspondence to Juris Meija.

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Meija, J. An ode to the atomic weights. Nature Chem 6, 749–750 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1038/nchem.2047

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