Element has two or more isotopes that are used to determine its atomic weight. The isotopic abundances and atomic weights vary in normal materials. These variations are well known, and the standard atomic weight is given as lower and upper bounds within square brackets, [ ].
Element has two ore more isotopes that are used to determine its standard atomic weight. The isotopic abundance and atomic weights vary in normal materials, but upper and lower bounds of the standard atomic weight have not been assigned by IUPAC or the variations may be too small to affect the standard atomic weight value significantly. Thus, the standard atomic weight is given as a single value with an uncertainty that includes both measurement uncertainty and uncertainty due to isotopic abundance variations.
Element has only one isotope that is used to determine its standard atomic weight. Thus, the standard atomic weight is invariant and is given as a single value with an IUPAC evaluated uncertainty.
Element has no standard atomic weight because all of its isotopes are radioactive and, in normal materials, no isotope occurs with a characteristic isotopic abundance from which a standard atomic weight can be determined.
