Formula mass and mole calculations

The relative formula mass of a compound is calculated by adding together the relative atomic
mass values for all the atoms in its formula. Moles are units used to measure substance
amount.

Calculating relative formula masses

Relative atomic mass

The relative atomic mass of an element shows its mass compared with the mass of atoms of
other elements. The relative atomic mass of carbon is 12, while the relative atomic mass of
magnesium is 24. This means that each magnesium atom is twice the mass of a carbon atom.

Relative formula mass

Relative atomic masses can be used to find the relative formula mass of a compound.

To find the relative formula mass (Mr) of a compound, you add together the relative atomic
mass values (Ar values) for all the atoms in its formula.

Here are two examples:

QQuestion

Find the Mr of carbon monoxide, CO.

AAnswerReveal answerHide answer

The Ar of carbon is 12 and the Ar of oxygen is 16.

The Mr of carbon monoxide is 12 + 16 = 28.

QQuestion

Find the Mr of sodium oxide, Na2O.

AAnswerReveal answerHide answer

The Ar of sodium is 23 and the Ar of oxygen is 16.

The Mr of sodium oxide is (23 × 2) + 16 = 62.

The relative formula mass of a substance, shown in grams, is called one mole of that
substance. So one mole of carbon monoxide has a mass of 28 g, and one mole of sodium
oxide has a mass of 62 g.

The table shows some more examples of relative formula mass calculations, using the relative
atomic mass values given at the bottom of the page.
Relative formula mass calculations

Relative
Compound Formula Calculation
formula mass
Water H2O 1 + 1 + 16 = 18
Sodium
NaOH 23 + 16 + 1 = 40
hydroxide
Magnesium 24 + 16 + 16 + 1 + 1 = (remember that there are
Mg(OH)2 58
hydroxide two of each atom inside the brackets)

 Ar of H = 1
 Ar of O = 16
 Ar of Na = 23
 Ar of Mg = 24

The mole

 Chemists measure the amount of a substance in a unit called ‘the mole’. This is a
convenient way of counting atoms. It allows chemists to make predictions about the
masses of different substances that are involved in reactions.
 One mole is the Avogadro number of particles (atoms, molecules, ions or electrons)
in a substance.
 The Avogadro number
 One mole of atoms contains 6 x 1023 atoms, no matter what element it is. This is a
very large number: it is 6 with 23 zeros after it. It is known as the Avogadro number.
 This number is used in chemistry because if you could count out this many carbon
atoms, the total mass of carbon you would have is 12 g. On the other hand, weighing
out 12 g of carbon allows you to know how many atoms you have.
 Moles of elements
 One mole of carbon atoms has a mass of exactly 12 g. Because magnesium atoms
each have twice the mass of carbon atoms (24Mg compared with 12C), one mole of
magnesium has a mass of 24 g. In fact, one mole of any element has a mass in grams
that is equal to its relative atomic mass. One mole of iron has a mass of 56 g.
 Moles of compounds
 A mole of a molecular compound contains 6 x 1023 molecules. It has a mass that is
equal to its relative formula mass. So a mole of water (H2O) has a mass of 18 g. A
mole of carbon dioxide (CO2) has a mass of 44 g. This also works for ionic
compounds, so a mole of sodium chloride (NaCl) has a mass of 58.5 g.
 This approach can also be used for elements that are made from molecules. For
example, oxygen gas O2 is diatomic (each molecule contains two atoms) so its
relative formula mass is 32. One mole of oxygen molecules would therefore have a
mass of 32 g. One mole of oxygen atoms (if you could ever isolate them) would have
a mass of 16 g.

Mole calculations

This equation shows how relative formula mass, number of moles and mass are related:

number of moles = mass ÷ relative formula mass

This can be rearranged to find the mass if the number of moles and molar mass (its relative
formula mass in grams) are known. It can also be rearranged to find the molar mass if the
mass and number of moles are known.

The triangle diagram may help you with this.

Finding the number of moles

QQuestion

Calculate the number of moles of carbon dioxide molecules in 22 g of CO2.

AAnswerReveal answerHide answer

Ar (relative atomic mass) of C = 12, Ar of O = 16

Mr (relative formula mass) of carbon dioxide = 12 + 16 + 16 = 44

number of moles = 22 ÷ 44 = 0.5 mol

Finding the mass

QQuestion

Calculate the mass of 2 mol of carbon dioxide (CO2).

AAnswerReveal answerHide answer

mass = number of moles × relative formula mass = 2 × 44 = 88 g

Finding the relative formula mass

QQuestion
 10 mol of carbon dioxide has a mass of 440 g. What is the relative formula mass of
carbon dioxide?

AAnswerReveal answerHide answer

relative formula mass = mass ÷ number of moles = 440 ÷ 10 = 44

Reacting masses

You can calculate the mass of a product or reactant using the idea of moles, a balanced
equation and relevant Ar values.

Example

Sulfuric acid and sodium hydroxide react together to make sodium sulfate and water:

H2SO4 + 2NaOH → Na2SO4 + 2H2O

QQuestion

Calculate the mass of sodium sulfate made when 20 g of sodium hydroxide reacts
with excess sulfuric acid. (Ar of H = 1, Ar of O = 16, Ar of Na = 23, Ar of S = 32)

AAnswerReveal answerHide answer

Mr of NaOH = 23 + 16 + 1 = 40

Mr of Na2SO4 = 23 + 23 + 32 + 16 + 16 + 16 + 16 = 142

Number of moles of NaOH = mass ÷ relative formula mass = 20 ÷ 40 = 0.5 mol

From the equation, 2 mol of NaOH reacts with 1 mol of Na2SO4, so 0.5 mol of NaOH
will react with 0.25 mol of Na2SO4.

mass of Na2SO4 = moles × relative formula mass = 0.25 × 142 = 35.5 g

The example above could also be tackled like this:

Molar volume of gases

One mole of any gas has a volume of 24 dm3 or 24,000 cm3 at rtp (room temperature and
pressure). This volume is called the molar volume of a gas.

This equation shows how the volume of gas in dm3 at rtp is related to the number of moles:

volume of gas at rtp = number of moles × 24

QQuestion
 Calculate the volume of 0.5 mol of carbon dioxide at rtp.

AAnswerReveal answerHide answer

volume = 0.5 × 24 = 12 dm3

Remember that 1 dm3 = 1 000 cm3 so the volume is also 12 000 cm3

The equation can be rearranged to find the number of moles, if the volume of gas at
rtp is known:

number of moles = volume of gas at rtp ÷ 24

QQuestion

Calculate the number of moles of hydrogen that occupy 6 dm3 at rtp.

AAnswerReveal answerHide answer

number of moles = 6 ÷ 24 = 0.25 mol

Glossary

1. atomAll elements are made of atoms. An atom consists of a nucleus containing

protons and neutrons, surrounded by electrons.
2. electronSubatomic particle, with a negative charge and a negligible mass relative to
protons and neutrons.
3. elementA substance made of one type of atom only.
4. ionElectrically charged particle, formed when an atom or molecule gains or loses
electrons.
5. massThe amount of matter an object contains. Mass is measured in kilograms (kg).
6. moleThe amount of substance that contains the same number of particles as there are
atoms in 12g of carbon-12 (Avogadro's constant 6.0 x 1023).
7. moleculeA collection of two or more atoms held together by chemical bonds.
8. productA substance formed in a chemical reaction.
9. reactantSubstances present at the start of a chemical reaction.
10. relative formula massThe relative formula mass (Mr) of a compound is calculated by
adding together the relative atomic masses (Ar) of the atoms present in a compound.
11. volumeThe volume of a three-dimensional shape is a measure of the amount of space
or capacity it occupies, eg a can of cola has a volume of 330 ml.