Introduction to Moles

RELATIVE ATOMIC MASS

Have you ever wondered how much an atom weighs? Most of an atom’s mass is
contained in the nucleus. Take for example a Hydrogen atom – it has one proton in its
nucleus. The mass of a proton is 1.673 x 10 -27 kg, therefore the mass of one hydrogen
atom is 1.673 x 10 – 27 kg. This number is extremely small and a mouthful to say out
aloud. Similarly, Helium has two protons and two neutrons in its nucleus. The mass of
a neutron is 1.675 x 10 – 27 kg. The mass of a neutron and the mass of a proton are
approximately the same – and so we can say that the mass of the helium atom is
approximately 4 times the mass of a hydrogen atom.
Or, mathematically -
m ( He )=2 ×mass of proton+2 ×mass of neutron
¿ 2 ( 1.673 ×10−27 ) +2 ( 1.675 ×10−27 )=6.696 × 10−27 kg

When we compare the mass of a Helium atom to the mass of a Hydrogen atom –
m(He) 6.696 ×10−27
= =4.00
m(H) 1.673 ×10−27
Because chemists prefer simplicity, it is easier to define masses of an atom in relation
to another atom. Therefore, we use the term relative atomic mass (A r). The Ar of an
element is the mass of an atom of that element compared with 1/12 th the mass of an
atom of carbon-12.

RELATIVE MOLECULAR MASS

The relative Molecular mass (Mr) is used to describe the masses of molecules. The M r
of a substance is the mass of a molecule of that substance compared with 1/12 th the
mass of an atom of carbon -12. The relative molecular mass for an element or
compound is calculated by adding the relative atomic masses of the component
atoms.

THE MOLE
People have always grouped numbers into convenient counting units. The most
familiar to us is probably the dozen, used as a convenient number of items to sell. The
table below shows some other convenient counting units.
Name Counting unit Typical materials Remarks
Pair 2 Shoes We have two feet
Dozen 12 Eggs Eggs are usually sold in a carton
with a dozen eggs
Score 20 Years A generation was about 20
years
Ream 500 Paper A useful size for a packet of
paper for typing or placing in a
photocopier
Mole 6.023 x 10 23
Atomic particles This number of particles makes
the relative atomic mass equal
to mass measured in grams

Any sample of matter that we examine contains a very large number of atoms.
Although there are many different types of atoms, they have at least one thing in
common – they are all extremely small (less than 0.000 000 1 cm in diameter).
Because of their small size, the mass of individual atoms must also be very small. For
example an atom of hydrogen, the lightest element has a mass of 0.000 000 000 000
000 000 000 001 6 gram!

Imagine the dilemma of scientists trying to count or determine the mass of atoms
every time she wanted to study their reactions! For this reason chemists never work
with single atoms or even molecules. For that matter, neither would you! Adding a
single teaspoon of sugar to a cup of tea seas you tipping in many billions of atoms.
We always work with large collection of atoms and this makes our study of chemistry
much less difficult. Although atoms are too light to determine their individual mass, it
is possible to determine the mass of a large number of them. For this reason,
chemists selected a unit much larger than a single atom or formula when they want to
compare different materials.

The unit that chemists chose is called the Mole. The abbreviation for mole is “mol”.
The mol is a unit based on a large number of particles. The particles we are talking
about can be atoms, molecules or ions.

One mole is 602 300 000 000 000 000 000 000 particles.

This large number is conveniently written as 6.023 x 10 23 in scientific notation. The

number is “said” as “Six point zero two three by ten to the twenty third”. The number
of particles in one mole is called Avogadro’s number, in honour of the Italian physicist
Amadeo Avogadro (1776 – 1856). Avogadro’s Number is so large that it is difficult to
comprehend. An impression of the size of this number can be gained by noting that a
mole of oranges would form a sphere the size of the earth. Alternatively, a mole of
rice grains would cover Australia to a depth of about one kilometer.

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN NUMBER OF PARTICLES AND MOLES

One mole of any substance contains 6.023 x 10 23 particles. This means that one mole
of hydrogen atoms contains 6.023 x 1023 hydrogen atoms; and that one mole of iron
contains 6.023 x 1023 iron atoms. It follows that if I have 12.046 x 10 23 iron atoms I
would have 2 moles of iron atoms. The follow equation below depicts the relationship
between number of particles and moles
N
n= 23
6.023 × 10
where:
n = number of moles
N = number of particles

MOLAR MASS
Avogadro’s number is a particularly useful number to work with because a mole of
any substance has a mass equal to its relative atomic mass or relative molecular
mass. This means that 1 mol of Hydrogen atoms will weigh 1.008 g, and one mole of
H2O will weigh (1.008 x 2 + 16) 18.016.
In other words Molar Mass (M) is defined as the mass of 1 mole (or the mass of 6.023
x 1023 particles) of a substance. Molar mass is the actual mass of 1 mole and is
expressed in grams. If one mole of carbon atoms has a mass of 12 grams then,
because hydrogen atoms are 1/12th the mass of carbon atoms, one mole of hydrogen
atoms will have a mass of 1 gram.

QUESTIONS ON AR, MR, AVOGADRO’S NUMBER, MOLES

AND MOLAR MASS
1. How many atoms are there in a mole of atoms?
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2. How many molecules are there in a mole of molecules?

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3. How many elephants are there in a mole of elephants?

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4. What name is given to the number 6.023 x 1023?

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5. What is the relative atomic mass of the following elements?

a. Oxygen

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b. Carbon
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c. Hydrogen

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d. Nitrogen

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6. What is the mass of 1 mole of carbon atoms?

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7. What is the mass of 3 moles of carbon atoms?

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8. Calculate the Molar Mass of the following:

a. Oxygen gas (O2)

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b. Carbon dioxide (CO2)

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 c. Phosphorous (P4)

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d. Glucose (C6H12O6)

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e. Carbon monoxide (CO)

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f. Sulfuric acid

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g. Aluminium carbonate

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h. Magnesium nitrate

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QUESTIONS ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN NUMBER OF

PARTICLES AND MOLES
N
n= 23
6.023 × 10
Where n is the number of moles
And N is the number of atoms

9. Calculate the number of moles of

a. Silver in 36.12 x 1023 atoms

b. Carbon in 2.00 x 1023 atoms

c. Sugar molecules in 720 x 1023 molecules of sugar

10. How many atoms of carbon are there in a 2 moles of carbon

11. How many atoms of zinc are there in 6 moles in zinc?

12. How many molecules of chlorine are there in 0.2 mol of Chlorine?

13. How many atoms of Oxygen are there in 1.75 moles of Oxygen gas?

14. How many atoms are there in total in 0.035 moles of sodium carbonate?