Finding the Mole of an Element

By: Kyra Mica Ella Flores

Molecular mass or molecular weight refers to the mass of a molecule. It is calculated as the sum of the mass of each constituent atom multiplied by the number of atoms of that element in the molecular formula. The molecular mass of small to medium size molecules, measured by mass spectrometry, determines stoichiometry. Both atomic and molecular masses are usually obtained relative to the mass of the isotope 12C (carbon 12) which by definition is equal to 12. For example, the molecular weight of methane, molecular formula CH4, is calculated as follows. atomic mass total mass

12.011

12.011

1.00794

4.03176

CH4

16.043

A more proper term would be "relative molecular mass". However the epithet relative is omitted as it is universally assumed that atomic and molecular masses are relative to the mass of 12C. Relative atomic and molecular mass values are dimensionless but are given the "unit" Dalton (formerly atomic mass unit) to indicate that the number is equal to the mass of one molecule divided by the mass of one atom of 12C. The mass of 1 mol of substance is designated as molar mass. By definition, it has the unit gram. In the example above the atomic weight of carbon is given as 12.011, not 12. This is because naturally occurring carbon is a mixture of the isotopes 12C, 13C and 14C which have relative atomic masses of 12, 13 and 14 respectively. Moreover, the proportion of the isotopes varies between samples, so 12.011 is an average value. By contrast, there is less variation in naturally occurring hydrogen so the average atomic weight is known more precisely. The precision of the molecular mass is determined by precision of the least precise atomic mass value; in this case that of carbon. In high-resolution mass spectrometry the isotopomers 12C1H4 and 13C1H4 are observed as distinct molecules, with molecular weights of 16 and 17, respectively. The intensity of the mass-spectrometry peaks is proportional to the isotopic abundances in the molecular species. 12C 2H 1H3 can also be observed with molecular weight of 17.

Every 1mol = NA = 6.02 x 1023 Ways of finding the molecular formula: 1. Determine the molecular formula of the molecule. 2. Use the periodic table to determine the atomic mass of each element in the molecule. 3. Multiply each element's atomic mass by the number of atoms of that element in the molecule. This number is represented by the subscript next to the element symbol in the molecular formula. 4. Add these values together for each different atom in the molecule. The total will be the molecular mass of the compound.

Example: How many atoms are there in 0.551g of Potassium ( K ) ? Solution: 0.551gK = 1molK = 0.551molK = 0.01molK x 6.02x1023 = 8.48 x 1021
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39.10gK Answer : 8.48 x 1021

39.10gK

1molK