Formulas, Equations and Yields

Making Sense of Chemical

Processes

Counting Molecules
The mass of one atom is extremely small
(e.g. a sodium atom has a mass of 3.80 x 10-23g)
In the laboratory we perform chemical reactions that involve
measureable masses of atoms
The link between these two scales is Avogadros Number (NA).
Avogadros Number is the number of atoms in exactly 12g of 12C.
NA = 6.0221420 x 1023
So, in other words in 12g of 12C there are 6.0221420 x 1023 atoms of 12C
The mass (in grams) of NA atoms of any element is its atomic mass

The Mole
1 mole (mol) represents NA = 6.0221420 x 1023 atoms,
molecules
The mass of 1 mol of atoms of an element, or molecules
of a compound, is the molar mass (g/mol)
For elements the molar mass is equivalent to the atomic
mass of the same element

Mass
Molar Mass

Moles
Avogadros Number (NA)

Number of Molecules

The Size Equivalent of One

Mole Depends on the Species
in Question

Molar Volume
Density = Mass / Volume
For one mole of a substance,
Vm (Molar Volume) = Mass of one mole / Density of
substance
For one mole of water,
Vm = 18.0g mol-1 / 1.0gcm-3 = 18 cm3 mol-1

Since in one mole of water we know that

there are 6.022 x 1023 atoms (NA) then,
Vol. of one H2O molecule = 18 cm3 mol-1 / 6.022 x 1023 atoms mol-1
-23

-1

Empirical and Molecular Formulas

The molecular formula is the number of atoms of each
element that are in one molecule of the substance.
The empirical formula is the simplest formula that gives the
relative number of each element in one molecule of the
substance.
Sometimes the molecular formula and the empirical formulas
are the same (e.g. CO, CO2)
Sometimes they are not
(e.g. benzene; molecular formula C6H6; empirical formula CH)

Limiting Reactants

In many reactions one of the reagents is not present

in sufficient quantity. This reagent is called the limiting reactant.

Percentage Yield
In many reactions the product yield is less than that which would
have been predicted theoretically. This can be as a result of
competing reactions or from the loss of product molecules during
the acts of separation and purification.
The ratio of the actual yield to the theoretical yield is termed the
percentage yield.