The Mole

The counting unit of

chemistry
 Why the mole?
 Atoms and molecules are too small to
keep track of individually! It is easier to
count them in packages.

 Same concept as the dozen!

 A mole is a package of many, many, many

particles (like atoms or molecules). How
many exactly?
 More Mole Fun Facts
 1 mole (abbreviated “mol”) =
6.0221367 x 1023 representative particles

 representative particles = atoms, ions,

electrons, molecules, or formula units

 We can just round the mole to 3 sig. figs:

6.02 x 1023 particles

 6.02 x 1023 is called “Avogadro’s Number”

 A mole is a lot…..
The mole is so many particles, it is really only
useful for counting particles of matter.

There is not a mole of people on earth…

There is not a mole of pennies on earth…
There is not a mole of stars in the Milky Way
There might be a mole of stars in the
universe……
But, a gallon of water
contains 210 moles
of water molecules!
 What are representative
particles?
 The fundamental types of particles that make up
pure substances (elements and compounds)
 Some pure substances are made of atoms
(for examples, all metals and noble gases)
 Some pure substances are made of molecules
(for example, all covalent compounds, like water)
 Some pure substances are made of formula units
(for example, all ionic compounds, like table salt)
 Representative particles….
 For now, it does not matter what type of
representative particle a pure substance is
made of. I will tell you.
 All you need to know is that if you have a
mole of a pure substance, you have
6.02 x 1023 of its particles.

 So:
a mole of sugar is 6.02 x 1023 molecules
a mole of helium is 6.02 x 1023 atoms
 Converting Moles  Rep. Particles
 Just use D. A. and the conversion factor
1 mol = 6.02 x 1023 rep. particles

Ex 1) 5.0 moles of Na = _____ atoms Na?

Ex 2) 3.45 x 1023 molec. of CH2O = _____ moles CH2O?

 Whiteboard assignment
 Groups of 2 – write both of your names
and the station number on your paper.
 Perform 4 mole  rep. particle
conversions (highlighted at each station).
 Show all D.A work.
 Each box of grid must have a number,
unit, and a label.
 Calculate to sig. figs. and put a unit and
label on each answer too.
 6.02 x 1023
Why this number??
 It is based on the number of particles in
12 grams of pure 12C

12 g 12C .001 kg 1 amu 1 atom 12C

1g 1.6605 x 10-27 kg 12 amu

= 6.02 x 1023 atoms 12C

We’ll come back to this relationship later….

 Moles  Mass
 We do not measure out substances in
terms of moles, but rather, in terms of
mass (grams).

 There is a simple relationship between the

amount of moles and the mass of an
element….it can be found right on the
periodic table!
 Relationship between Relative
Atomic Mass (Ar) and Molar Mass

C
12.01
The relative atomic mass of an atom of an
element in amus is also the molar mass of
an entire mole of those atoms in grams.
 Converting Mole  Mass
 Just use D. A. and the conversion factor
1 mol = molar mass (g)

Ex 1) 45.2 g of Zn = _____ moles Zn

Ex 2) 0.568 moles Ag = _____ grams Ag

 Putting it all together…
molar mass 6.02 x 1023

grams  moles  rep. particles

Ex 1) Convert 50.0 g of Mg to atoms:

Ex 2) Convert 7.200 x 1024 atoms of He to grams:

 Calculating Molar Masses of Compounds
 Just add together the molar masses of all the
elements in the compound (by Conservation of
Mass). Distribute through the parentheses when
necessary.
 Ex 1) CCl2F2

 Ex 2) MgCO3

 Ex 3) (NH4)3PO4

 Ex 4) Sn3(PO4)4
 Try this now…..
molar mass 6.02 x 1023
grams  moles  rep. particles

Convert 5.27 x 1024 formula units of Sn3(PO4)4

to grams.