Transition metal

Atomic Mass of Hassium (Hs)

Quick answer

Hassium has no stable isotope, so no standard atomic weight exists; its most stable isotope has mass number ≈ 269, and the bracketed value [269] marks that estimate.

Looking for Hassium's atomic mass without wading through a whole chapter? Here is the direct answer first, then the tables and derivations examiners want to see. Every number on this page comes from the same engine that powers the interactive table. Need the whole picture instead — history, characteristics, uses, exam questions? The full Hassium page is one click away.

Hassium by the numbers

One Hassium atom carries 108 protons in its nucleus; add the neutrons of its commonest isotope (about 161) and you get its mass number, roughly 269.

QuantityValue
Atomic number (Z)108
Relative atomic mass[269] (no stable isotope)
Protons108
Neutrons (commonest isotope)161
Electrons108

Atomic mass vs mass number

Mass number (A) counts particles — protons + neutrons in one specific atom, always a whole number. Relative atomic mass is the experimentally measured average over all natural isotopes, so it comes out fractional ([269] is shown in brackets because it is only an estimate). Exams love this one-mark distinction.

Why is the mass in brackets?

Every isotope of Hassium is radioactive and vanishes too quickly to build up a natural mixture — so the IUPAC convention prints the mass number of the longest-lived isotope in square brackets instead of a standard atomic weight.

Students also ask

Is the atomic mass of Hassium a whole number?

No — Hassium has no stable isotopes, so chemists use the bracketed estimate [269] rather than a measured average.

How many neutrons does Hassium have?

Neutrons = mass number − atomic number. For Hassium's commonest isotope that is about 269 − 108 = 161, though the exact count differs between isotopes.