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A Twenty-First Century Molar Mass for

Dry Air
a b
Donald P. Gatley , Sebastian Herrmann & Hans-Joachim
c
Kretzschmar
a
Atlanta, GA
b
University of Rostock , Germany
c
Zittau/Goerlitz University of Applied Sciences , Zittau,
Germany
Published online: 25 Feb 2011.

To cite this article: Donald P. Gatley , Sebastian Herrmann & Hans-Joachim Kretzschmar (2008)
A Twenty-First Century Molar Mass for Dry Air, HVAC&R Research, 14:5, 655-662

To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10789669.2008.10391032

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VOLUME 14, NUMBER 5 HVAC&R RESEARCH SEPTEMBER 2008

A Twenty-First Century Molar Mass for Dry Air

Donald P. Gatley, PE Sebastian Herrmann
Fellow ASHRAE Student Member ASHRAE
Hans-Joachim Kretzschmar, Dr.-Ing.
Member ASHRAE

Received February 14, 2008; accepted June 9, 2008

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The audience for this paper includes researchers, educators, and engineers in the fields of air
conditioning, atmospheric physics, meteorology, psychrometrics, standards, and thermody-
namics. This paper provides a brief history of the molar mass of dry air, Mda, followed by the
composition of Earth’s atmosphere for the year 2008 and the calculation of M da. A single
equation is given to calculate Mda based on the actual abundance of CO2 in the atmosphere,
which is currently increasing at an annual rate of 1.9 µmol⋅mol–1. This causes an increase in
the value of Mda at a rate of 0.0001 kg⋅kmol–1 (lb⋅lbmol–1) for every 8.33 µmol ⋅mol–1 increase
in the abundance of CO2. It is practical for many calculations to use the average projected
Mda value over a period of a half-century, during which time the value of M da will increase by
approximately 0.0010 kg⋅kmol–1 (lb⋅lbmol–1). For most psychrometric calculations, the
authors recommend an M da value of 28.966 kg⋅kmol–1 (lb⋅lbmol–1), which is projected for the
year 2036. This value will be correct when rounded to three decimal places through 2058 if
CO 2 increases at its current rate.

INTRODUCTION—Mda VALUES FROM 1945 TO 2005

Researchers, practitioners, and educators in the fields of agricultural and food science engi-
neering, air conditioning, atmospheric physics, drying and dehumidification, gas turbines, com-
pressors and expanders, meteorology, psychrometrics, and standards make numerous
psychrometric (moist air) calculations that are based in part on the molar mass of dry air. Dry air
is a mixture of nitrogen, oxygen, argon, CO2, and eight or more minor constituents called trace
gases. The molar mass of dry air is calculated as the sum of the products of the mole ratio of
each gas times its molar mass.
In the last half of the twentieth century, the following changes took place that resulted in an
increase in the molar mass of dry air:

• The scientific community changed from the Oxygen-16 to the Carbon-12 reference for the
molar mass of elements and compounds in 1960.
• The molar masses of the basic chemical elements were updated by the International Union of
Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) (Wieser 2005).
• CO2 in the atmosphere has increased from 314 µmol⋅mol–1 (~1955) to 379 µmol⋅mol–1 (Keel-
ing and Whorf 2005a, 2005b). The 65 µmol⋅mol–1 increase in CO2 in this time span is accom-
panied by a decrease in O2 because combustion and respiration processes combine a carbon
atom with O 2 from the atmosphere to produce CO2 (Park et al. 2004).
• The stated argon mole fraction in air has changed from 9340 µmol⋅mol–1 at the start of the

Donald P. Gatley is a retired consulting engineer, Atlanta, GA. Sebastian Herrmann is a mechanical engineering grad-
uate from Zittau/Goerlitz University of Applied Sciences and is currently a PhD candidate and research assistant at the
University of Rostock, Germany. Hans-Joachim Kretzschmar is a professor of technical thermodynamics at Zittau/Go-
erlitz University of Applied Sciences, Zittau, Germany.

655
 656 HVAC&R RESEARCH

twentieth century to 9170 µmol⋅mol–-1 at mid-century to 9332 µmol⋅mol–1 (Park et al. 2004).
NASA apparently did not accept the mid-century value, as the U.S. Standard Atmosphere
1976 document (NOAA/NASA 1976) used the 9340 µmol⋅mol–1 value.
• With more accurate calculations and data, the scientific community has revised their best esti-
mate of the universal gas constant from 8.31441 J⋅mol–1⋅K–1 to 8.314510 and finally to
8.314472 (1545.349 ft⋅lb⋅mol–1⋅°R–1), which is the value recommended by the Committee on
Data for Science and Technology (of the International Council for Science headquartered at
Paris, France) (Mohr and Taylor 1999) and is now officially listed by IUPAC and the National
Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).

A sampling of dry-air molar mass values used by researchers over the last 30 years is shown
in Figure 1. Different values result from different assumed or measured compositions for atmo-
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spheric air. Some models of Earth’s atmosphere include CO2 and others do not. CO2 is the
fourth most abundant atmospheric gas and is currently increasing at an annual rate of approxi-
mately 1.9 µmol⋅mol–1/year (Keeling and Whorf 2005a, 2005b). The current rate of increase in
CO2 results in an increase in the molar mass of dry air of 0.0001 kg⋅kmol–1 (lb⋅lbmol–1) every
four to five years. (Note: Throughout the rest of this paper, the units associated with molar mass
values have been omitted.)
The NIST Boulder (Lemmon et al. 2000; Lemmon and Jacobsen 2004) and the VDI-4670
(VDI 2003) models of dry air use similar but not identical atmospheric air models made up of the
three gases: nitrogen, oxygen, and argon. Neither contain CO2. Most of the remaining models
include 314 µmol⋅mol–1 of CO2, which is representative of the middle of the twentieth century.

1. Goff and Gratch (1945)
2. NOAA/NASA (1976)
3. Giacomo (1981)
4. Hyland and Wexler
(1983)/Hyland et al. (1983)
5. Lemmon et al. (2000)
6. VDI (2003) 11. Initial year of 28.966 rounded
7. Lemmon and Jacobsen (2004) 12. Final year of 28.966 rounded
8. Park et al. (2004)
9. Williams (2007)
10. Calm and Hourahan (2007)

Figure 1. Mass of dry air (1950–2070).

 VOLUME 14, NUMBER 5, SEPTEMBER 2008 657

REASONS FOR UPDATING THE MOLAR MASS OF DRY AIR

The effect of using an Mda value of 28.966 kg⋅kmol–1 (lb⋅lbmol–1) for psychrometric calcula-
tions will be small, e.g., changes in property and process calculations will be less than 0.5%.
Nevertheless, a consistent rational value will be beneficial.
Students in meteorology, thermodynamics, fluid flow, metrology, and other fields should
appreciate a consistent rational value based on the latest composition of the atmosphere.
Researchers and others who develop mathematical models of the atmosphere or psychromet-
ric processes can update the majority of their code except for certain functions or routines that
use equations curve fit to measured property data. If functions or routines that use these curve-fit
equations include either (1) the gas constant for dry air, (2) the molar mass of dry air, or (3) a
ratio based on Mda, then the function or routine should not be changed because such a change
will result in a change in the value of the underlying measured property data, which obviously
creates errors in subsequent calculations. Researchers and programmers in the period through
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the year 2058 will appreciate having a standard value for the molar mass of dry air.
Researchers who update real moist air psychrometric models for air-conditioning, drying,
combustion turbine, and meteorology processes will see a small benefit in the comparison and
validation of new models when both models use the same value for the molar mass of dry air.
Logic is perhaps the best reason for using a standard value for the twenty-first century
molar mass of dry air. The composition of dry air is accurately known, as are values for the
molar mass of its constituents.

CALCULATING THE MOLAR MASS OF DRY AIR

The molar mass of dry air is calculated as the sum of the products of the mole ratio of each
gas times its molar mass. It is a simple matter to access the IUPAC or NIST Web sites and
obtain the molar mass of each constituent of atmospheric air. It is more difficult to find an
up-to-date table listing the abundance of each constituent gas in the atmosphere.
Hundreds of textbooks and Web pages provide tables listing the composition of dry air.
Unfortunately, few of these provide a source reference or the year for which the abundance val-
ues were determined. The reference year is important for CO2 and O2 because CO2 is increasing
at the expense of O2. It is also important because of the apparent erroneous value of argon
reported in the mid-twentieth century.
Fortunately, a straightforward and accurate means is available for determining the composi-
tion of the atmosphere if one has a value for the past, present, or projected abundance of CO2.
The underlying reasoning for this statement is covered in the following paragraphs, after which
the abundance of CO 2 will be addressed.
Instead of tediously listing 14 or more components of atmospheric dry air, the molar mass of
dry air can be evaluated as the sum of three sets of components with a total of
1.00000 mol⋅mol–1:

Two reacting gases, O2 and CO2 ψO2 + ψCO2 = 0.20982 mol⋅mol–1 (1)

Two inert gases, N 2 and Ar ψN2 + ψAr = 0.79015 mol⋅mol–1 (2)

Trace gases ψTrace = 0.00003 mol⋅mol–1 (3)

Equations 1 and 2 are presented in Park et al. (2004). They differ slightly from earlier Comité
International des Poids et Mesures (International Committee for Weights and Measures) 81/91
equations (Giacomo 1981; Davis 1992), which used (a) ψAr = 0.00914, (b) ∑ (ψN2 + ψAr) =
0.79018, and (c) ∑ (ψO2 + ψCO2) = 0.20979.
The resulting 2008 composition of dry air and the calculation of Mda are shown in Table 1,
which includes the molar mass of each gas, its abundance, and its contribution to Mda. The
2008 composition uses the mean 2004 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Mauna Loa CO 2 concentration (Keeling and Whorf 2005a, 2005b), increased by four years
times 1.9 µmol⋅mol–1, the Park et al. (2004) value of 9332 µmol⋅mol–1 for Ar, and the result-
ing values of N 2 and O 2 from Equations 1 and 2. The individual trace gas abundances are
 658 HVAC&R RESEARCH

from Table 1 of Park et al. (2004). The results based on IUPAC molar masses (Wieser 2005)
are displayed in Table 1. The results are displayed with more significant digits than is custom-
ary so that readers may check their own tables or calculations.
Note that the 999970 µmol⋅mol–1 total of the first four gases plus the 27.1 µmol⋅mol–1 of trace
gases does not equal unity. In order to reach unity, 2.9 µmol⋅mol–1 of trace gases have been
added to the mean molar mass of the eight trace gases.
The total contribution of the trace gases (including the 2.9 µmol⋅mol–1 adjustment) to the
molar mass of dry air should be viewed with proper perspective. The total contribution of the
trace gases to Mda is 0.0006. Readers may not agree with adding the 2.9 µmol⋅mol–1 to the trace
gases and may also suggest changes to the abundance of one or more of the trace gases. Some
may want to include other trace gases, such as chlorofluorocarbons and hydrochlorofluorocar-
bons; however, the abundances of these are significantly less than the abundance of xenon and
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will not impact Mda. The perspective is that it is doubtful that any changes to the abundance of

Table 1. The 2008 Composition of Dry Air and Calculation of Mda

Molar Contribution
Mole Fraction ψi
Mass M (M ⋅ψ i)
Constituent
kg/kmol kg/kmol
ψ i ⋅ 106
(lb/lbmol) (lb/lbmol)
Two Inert Gases and Two Reacting Gases
N2 [1] 28.0134 780818 21.873367
O2 [2] 31.9988 209435 6.701669
Ar [1] 39.9480 9332 0.372795
CO2 [2] 44.0100 385 0.016944
Subtotals 999970 28.964774
Eight Trace Gases
Ne 20.1797 18.2 0.000367
He 4.002602 5.2 0.000021
CH4 16.04246 1.5 0.000024
Kr 83.798 1.1 0.000092
H2 2.01588 0.5 0.000001
N2O 44.0128 0.3 0.000013
CO 28.0101 0.2 0.000006
Xe 131.293 0.1 0.000013
Subtotals 27.1 0.000537
Trace to
19.8254 2.9 0.000057
30 µmol mol–1
Grand Totals 1000000 28.965369
Notes:
1. ψN2 + ψAr = 790150 µmol⋅mol–1; “Two Inert Gases.”
2. ψO2 + ψCO2 = 209820 µmol⋅mol–1 ; “Two Reacting Gases.”
3. Mean molar mass of the eight trace gases is 19.8254.
4. Adding 2.9 µmol⋅mol–1 of trace gases brings the total of all gases to unity.
5. 30 µmol⋅mol–1 trace gases times 19.8254 = 0.0005948.
 VOLUME 14, NUMBER 5, SEPTEMBER 2008 659

the trace gases will change their total contribution to Mda from the 0.0006 kg⋅kmol–1
(lb⋅lbmol–1) value.
Equation 1 is solved for ψO2 using the locally measured abundance of CO 2 or the NOAA
Mauna Loa observatory mean measured concentration of CO2 (Figure 2). The 2008 CO2 value
is 385 µmol⋅mol–1 (ψCO2 = 0.000385). The concentration of CO2 has been measured for more
than 50 years at Mauna Loa and agrees within 2 µmol⋅mol–1 with nine other stations in the Oak
Ridge National Laboratory Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center Scripps Institution of
Oceanography (La Jolla, California) sampling network (Keeling and Whorf 2005a, 2005b).
Equation 1 assumes that increases in CO2 result from combustion and respiration processes, and
the increase is perfectly correlated by a decrease in O2 (Park et al. 2004).
CO2 increases in the colder months in the northern hemisphere due to an increase in combus-
tion processes for heating combined with reduced photosynthesis from plants; CO2 decreases in
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the warmer months when these effects are reversed. The southern hemisphere has similar cycles,
but they are offset by six months. This paper uses the computed annual mean abundance of CO2.
Some research may require the actual abundance of CO2 at the site.
Equation 2 is solved for ψN2 using 0.009332 kmol⋅kmol–1 for ψAr determined by Park et al.
(2004) at the Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science (KRISS), Daejeon, Korea, from
samples at Anmyeon Island, Korea, and at Niwot Ridge, Colorado (collected by NOAA, Boulder,
Colorado). Subsequently, Sutour et al. (2006) at Laboratoire National de Métrologie et d'Essais
(LNE), Paris, France, determined a mole fraction in atmospheric air of 0.009323 for argon.
Equation 3 is based on the eight trace gases listed in Table 1 in Park et al. (2004), which
agrees closely with Harrison (1965) and which was used by Hyland and Wexler (1983) and
Hyland et al. (1983). The sum of the ψTrace gases from this table is 27.1 µmol⋅mol–1. The total
contribution to the molar mass of dry air is 0.000537, which, divided by the 27.1 µmol⋅mol–1,
gives a mean value for the molar mass of the trace gases of 19.8254. The third equation has been
rounded up to 30 µmol⋅mol–1 (0.00003 mol⋅mol–1) so that the sum of the three sets of compo-
nents is unity.
Tables or lists of atmospheric abundances frequently do not sum to unity. The data source for
this paper leaves 2.9 µmol⋅mol–1 unaccounted. This small deviation may be due to rounding,
other very minor trace elements, a combination of the previous two causes, or some other cause.
In order to bring the total abundance to unity, the 2.9 µmol⋅mol–1 must be multiplied by a repre-
sentative molar mass. This paper uses the weighted molar mass of the eight trace components,
and this results in an Mda increase of 0.000057 kg⋅kmol–1 (lb⋅lbmol–1). Another alternative is to
use the weighted molar mass of the three major components (28.9647831 kg⋅kmol–1
[lb⋅lbmol–1]), which results in an Mda increase of 0.000084 kg⋅kmol–1 (lb⋅lbmol–1), which adds
an additional 0.000027 kg⋅kmol–1 (lb⋅lbmol–1). This last increase is equivalent to the increase of

Figure 2. Abundance of CO2 in Earth’s atmosphere.

 660 HVAC&R RESEARCH

an additional 2.25 µmol⋅mol–1 of CO2, which is slightly greater than the current 1.9 µmol⋅mol–1
annual increase of CO2 in the atmosphere. This change does not alter the recommended value of
Mda for the first half of the twenty-first century.
As shown in Table 2, this same information can be shown in compacted form without loss of
accuracy by lumping the trace gases into a single line. This demonstrates the tiny effect that
trace gases have on Mda. Focus can then be concentrated on the two inert gases and the two
reacting gases.

A SIMPLE (BUT NOT SIMPLISTIC) EQUATION

It is highly probable that the concentrations of Ar and the eight minor trace gases will remain
as shown in the tables. With the concentration of Ar fixed, this also sets the concentration of N2.
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Based on these assumptions, Equation 4 gives exactly the same results as the table or spread-
sheet calculations above:

Mda = 28.960745 + CO2, µmol⋅mol–1 * 12.0107 / 1000000 (4)

Equation 4 or table calculations with CO 2 set to zero result in a molar mass of dry air of
28.960745 kg⋅kmol–1 (lb⋅lbmol–1). The second term of the equation converts CO2, µmol⋅mol–1 to
mole fraction CO2, which is multiplied by 12.0107 (the IUPAC value for carbon). Some may
challenge the use of 12.0107 rather than 44.0095; however, the equation is correct as written.
The explanation is based on the fact that in combustion or respiration, carbon combines with O2
to produce CO2. Every added molecule or mole fraction of CO2 causes an offsetting reduction in
the mole fraction of O 2. The total amount of O2, whether in the form of O 2 or the O2 in CO2, is
already accounted for in the table or Equation 4, and, as a consequence, it is only necessary to
account for the change in the abundance of carbon.

RECOMMENDED TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY VALUE

FOR THE MOLAR MASS OF DRY AIR
An Mda value of 28.966 kg⋅kmol–1 (lb⋅lbmol–1) is suggested for the fields of meteorology,
drying and dehumidification, air conditioning, gas turbines, compressors and expanders, and
agricultural and food science engineering. When the computed value of Mda is rounded to three

Table 2. The 2008 Composition of Dry Air and Calculation of Mda

Molar Contribution
Mole Fraction ψi
Mass M (M ⋅ψ i)
Constituent
kg/kmol kg/kmol
ψ i ⋅ 106
(lb/lbmol) (lb/lbmol)

N2 [1] 28.0134 780818 21.873367

O2 [2] 31.9988 209435 6.701669
Ar [1] 39.9480 9332 0.372795
CO2 [2] 44.0100 385 0.016944
8 trace gases 19.8254 30 0.000595
Grand Totals 1000000 28.965369
Notes:
1. ψN2 + ψAr = 790150 µmol⋅mol–1; “Two Inert Gases.”
2. ψO2 + ψCO2 = 209820 µmol⋅mol–1 ; “Two Reacting Gases.”
 VOLUME 14, NUMBER 5, SEPTEMBER 2008 661

decimal places, the value 28.966 kg⋅kmol–1 (lb⋅lbmol–1) is correct through 2058, assuming that
the future increase of CO 2 is 1.9 µmol⋅mol–1 per year. The exact value of 28.9660 kg⋅kmol–1
(lb⋅lbmol–1) is projected to occur in 2036. If the local abundance of CO2 is significantly differ-
ent than the current mean Mauna Loa value, then researchers modeling some processes may
wish to test the effect of the difference in CO2.
Designers of air-conditioning and dehumidification systems for high-occupancy interior
spaces who desire extreme accuracy should evaluate the effect of increased levels of CO2, e.g., a
771 µmol⋅mol–1 CO2 abundance results in an Mda value of exactly 28.97 kg⋅kmol–1 (lb⋅lbmol–1)
and an Mwv / Mda value of 0.6218594.

Mda IN METEOROLOGY AND PSYCHROMETRICS

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The value for the molar mass of dry air occurs in equations for the calculations of density,
specific volume, enthalpy, and entropy, and the conversion between properties expressed in
molar units, mass-based units, and massda-based units. Mda appears in many equations in combi-
nation with the molar mass of H 2O. The scientific community has standardized on the Vienna
Standard Mean Ocean Water (of the International Atomic Energy Agency) isotopic composition
of water, which results in a molar mass of 18.015268. The ratio Mwv / Mda is found in the calcu-
lation of the humidity ratio using the equation W = (Mwv / Mda) ⋅ pwv / (pbar – pwv). That ratio
(18.015268 / 28.966) equals 0.6219453, and it occurs so often that some give it the symbol ε, the
lowercase Greek symbol for epsilon. Readers may also recognize the reciprocal of ε that equals
1.60786, the quantity (1 – ε) that equals 0.37805, and the quantity (1 / ε – 1) that equals
0.60786. This latter value rounded to 0.61 appears in many equations used by meteorologists
and scientists in the field of atmospheric physics.

CONCLUSION
A twenty-first century value for the molar mass of dry air of 28.966 kg⋅kmol–1 (lb⋅lbmol–1) is
recommended for most psychrometric calculations. This value is supported by Park et al. (2004)
and Sutour et al. (2006) measurements and accurate determinations of the abundance of argon in
the troposphere and by the new equations for the inert gases (N 2 and Ar) and the reacting gases
(O2 and CO2) (Park et al. 2004).
Trace gases should not be ignored; however, lumping all trace gases into a single line entry
focuses attention on the four most abundant atmospheric constituents. The 0.0006 kg⋅kmol–1
(lb⋅lbmol–1) contribution of the eight or more trace gases to Mda is unlikely to change even with
new determinations of the abundance of one or more of the trace gases.

SYMBOLS AND ABBREVIATIONS

Ar =
argon N2 = nitrogen
CH4 =
methane N 2O = nitrous oxide
CO =
carbon monoxide Ne = neon
CO2 =
carbon dioxide O2 = oxygen
ε =
epsilon pbar = barometric pressure
H2 =
hydrogen
pwv = partial pressure of water vapor
He =
helium
W = humidity ratio, kgwv⋅kgda–1
Kr =
krypton (lbwv⋅lbda–1)
Mda =
molar mass of dry air,
kg kmol–1 (lb lbmol–1) Xe = xenon
MH2O or Mwv = molar mass of H2O, ψ = mole fraction
kg kmol–1 (lb lbmol–1) Note: pbar and pwv units must be identical
 662 HVAC&R RESEARCH

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