Mass Spectrometry Homework:Separating Carbon Isotopes with Mag Field

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A mass spectrometer is used to separate carbon isotopes based on their atomic masses, specifically ^{12}C, ^{13}C, and ^{14}C. The carbon ions are singly ionized and enter the spectrometer with a magnetic field strength of 0.200 T and a speed of 1.5 x 10^5 m/s. The formula r = mv/qB is essential for calculating the radius of the semicircular path taken by the ions, where 'r' is the radius, 'm' is mass, 'v' is velocity, 'q' is charge, and 'B' is magnetic field strength. The charge of a carbon ion is needed to complete the calculation for the distance from the entrance to the exit slit. Understanding these principles is crucial for determining the separation of the different carbon isotope beams.
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Homework Statement



A mass spectrometer is designed to separate atoms of carbon to determine the fraction of different isotopes. (Isotopes of an element have the same atomic number but different atomic mass, due to different numbers of neutrons.) There are three main isotopes of carbon, with the following atomic masses:




Atomic masses

^{12}C 1.993 \times 10^{-26} {\rm {kg}}
^{13}C 2.163 \times 10^{-26} {\rm {kg}}
^{14}C 2.333 \times10^{-26} {\rm {kg}}

The atoms of carbon are singly ionized and enter a mass spectrometer with magnetic field strength B \;=\;0.200\;{\rm T} at a speed of 1.5 \times 10^{5}\;{\rm m/s}. The ions move along a semicircular path and exit through an exit slit. How far from the entrance will the beams of the different isotope ions end up?

Homework Equations



What is the charge of a carbon ion?

The Attempt at a Solution



I tried applying this formula but i need charge...

r=mv/qB
 
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cds5615 said:
The atoms of carbon are singly ionized ...

There is your answer.
 
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