What is a "mole"?

1 Answer
anor277
Mar 17, 2016

One mole of stuff contains 6.022140857(74)xx10^23 individual items of that stuff.

Explanation:

6.022140857(74)xx10^23 is often abbreviated as N_A; it is simply a number, like 10, or a dozen, or a Bakers' dozen. It has the property that if there are N_A ""^12C atoms, then there is a mass of 12.00 g precisely of ""^12C. So, if have a mole of methane, CH_4, I have a mass of 16.00 g. In terms of N_A, how many (i) carbon atoms, and (ii) hydrogen atoms are present in 16.00 g of methane.

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