The Mole, Percent Composition and Empirical Formula

The mole (symbol mol) is a unit of measure for an amount of a chemical

substance. We define a mole as the amount of substance that contains Avogadro’s
number of particles, that is 6.02 X 1023 particles. The individual particles may be atoms,
molecules, formula units, or any other particles. Thus,

1 mol = Avogadro’s number (N) = 6.02 X 1023 atoms, molecules, or formula units
We can perform calculations that relate number of moles and number of
particles. For instance, we can determine how many molecules of Chlorine are in 0.250
mol of yellow gas. By applying the unit analysis method of problem solving.

𝟔.𝟎𝟐 𝑿 𝟏𝟎𝟐𝟑 𝒎𝒐𝒍𝒆𝒄𝒖𝒍𝒆𝒔 𝑪𝒍𝟐

𝟎. 𝟐𝟓𝟎 𝒎𝒐𝒍 𝑪𝒍𝟐 𝑿 = 1.51 X 1023 molecules Cl2
𝟏 𝒎𝒐𝒍 𝑪𝒍𝟐

Sample Problem:
Calculate the number of Sodium (Na) atoms in 0.120 mol Na.
Solution:

𝟔.𝟎𝟐 𝑿 𝟏𝟎𝟐𝟑 𝒂𝒕𝒐𝒎𝒔 𝑵𝒂

𝟎. 𝟏𝟐𝟎 𝒎𝒐𝒍 𝑵𝒂 𝑿 = 7.22 X 1022 atoms Na
𝟏 𝒎𝒐𝒍 𝑵𝒂

We can also perform the reverse procedure and determine the number of moles of
substance given the number of particles. For instance, we can calculate the number of
moles of violet I2 (Iodine) crystals corresponding to 2.50 X 1023 molecules of I2. Applying
the unit analysis method of problem solving, we have:

𝟏 𝒎𝒐𝒍 𝑰𝟐
𝟐. 𝟓𝟎 𝑿 𝟏𝟎𝟐𝟑 𝒎𝒐𝒍𝒆𝒄𝒖𝒍𝒆𝒔 𝑰𝟐 𝑿 = 0.415 mol I2
𝟔.𝟎𝟐 𝑿 𝟏𝟎𝟐𝟑 𝒎𝒐𝒍𝒆𝒄𝒖𝒍𝒆𝒔 𝑰𝟐
Molar Mass
A mole is an amount of substance that indicates the number of particles in a sample.
That is, 1 mol of an element contains 6.02 X 1023 atoms. Since the atomic mass of
Carbon is 12.01 amu, we know that 1 mol of Carbon has a mass of 12.01 g.

Sample Problem:
Find the molar mass of Iron (III) oxide, Fe2O3, by summing the masses as follows:
Fe2O3 (55.85 g/mol Fe) + 3 (16.00 g/mol O) = 159.70 g/mol
111.70 g/mol Fe + 48.00 g/mol O = 159.70 g/mol

Mole Calculations II

6.02 X 1023 particles = 1 mol = molar mass of substance

We can perform calculations that relate mass to the number of particles. For instance,
we can find the mass of 2.55 X 1023 atom of lead. By applying the unit analysis method
of problem solving, we first find the number of moles:

𝟏 𝒎𝒐𝒍 𝑷𝒃
𝟐. 𝟓𝟓 𝑿 𝟏𝟎𝟐𝟑 𝒂𝒕𝒐𝒎𝒔 𝑷𝒃 𝑿 = 0.424 mol Pb
𝟔.𝟎𝟐 𝑿 𝟏𝟎𝟐𝟑 𝒂𝒕𝒐𝒎𝒔 𝑷𝒃

To calculate the mass of lead, we multiply the number of moles of lead by its molar
mass. From the periodic table we find that the molar mass of Pb is 207.2 g/mol:

𝟐𝟎𝟕.𝟐 𝒈 𝑷𝒃
𝟎. 𝟒𝟐𝟒 𝒎𝒐𝒍 𝑷𝒃 𝑿 = 87.8 g Pb
𝟏 𝒎𝒐𝒍 𝑷𝒃
Percent Composition

The percent composition of a compound lists the mass percent of each element. The
percent composition of water, H2O , for example, is 11% hydrogen and 89% oxygen.

Sample Problem:

Calculate the percent composition of water as follows. Let’s begin by assuming that we
have 1 mol of H2O. A mole of H2O contains 2 mol of Hydrogen and 1 mol of Oxygen.
Thus,
2 (mol H) + 1 mol O = 1 mol H2O
2 (molar mass H) + 1 molar mass O = 1 molar mass H2O
2 (1.01 g H) + 16.00 g O = g H2O
2.02 g H + 16.00 g O = 18.02 g H2O

Next, we find the percent composition of water by comparing the molar masses of
Hydrogen and Oxygen to the molar mass of the whole compound.

2.02 𝑔 𝐻
𝑋 100% = 11.2 % H
18.02 𝑔 𝐻2 𝑂

16.00 𝑔 𝑂
𝑋 100% = 88.79% O
18.02 𝑔 𝐻2 𝑂
PRACTICE PROBLEM NO. 1: (ACTIVITY)
TNT (trinitrotoluene) is a white crystalline substance that explodes at 240 OC. Calculate
the percent composition of TNT, C7H5 (NO2)3.

Empirical Formula from Percent Composition

Benzene was a common liquid solvent until the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
discovered that is was a carcinogen. Let’s calculate the formula for benzene if its
composition is 92.2% and 7.83% hydrogen. The empirical formula expresses the simplest
whole-number ratio of carbon to hydrogen atoms in a molecule of benzene. To calculate
the moles of each element, let’s assume we have 100 g of sample. In 100 g of benze
there are 92.2 g of Carbon and 7.83 g of hydrogen. That is, the percentage of each
element corresponds to its mass in 100 g of the compound. We find the moles of C and
H as we did in the previous examples:

1 𝑚𝑜𝑙 𝐶
92.2 g C X = 7.68 𝑚𝑜𝑙 𝐶
12.01 𝑔 𝐶
1 𝑚𝑜𝑙 𝐻
7.83 g H X = 7.75 𝑚𝑜𝑙 𝐻
1.01 𝑔 𝐻
The mole ratio of the elements is benzene is C7.68 H7.75. We can simplify the mole ratio
by dividing both values by the smaller number, 7.68:

7.68 7.75
𝐶 𝐻 = C1.00 H1.01
7.68 7.68

PRACTICE PROBLEM NO. 2

1. Calculate the number of molecules in 0.0763 mol of chlorine gas, Cl2.
2. What is the number of atoms in 3.75 mol of a metallic element?
3. Determine the number of moles of potassium in 1.25 x 1021 atoms K.
4. How many moles of iodine are there in 5.34 x 1025 molecules of I2?
5. Calculate the molar mass of the following substances:
5.1) silver metal, Ag
5.2) ammonia gas, NH3