Amounts of substances are measured in units of mass (g or kg), volume (L) and mole (mol). Unit interconversions are based on the definitions of the units, and converting amounts from g or kg into mol is based on atomic masses of the elements.
Atomic masses are the masses of one mole of elements. A mole of any element has an Avogadro's number of atoms (= 6.02x1023 atoms per mole).
The natural units of substances are molecules, which are groups of
atoms bonded together, except monatomic molecules of inert gases, He, Ne,
Ar, Kr, Xe, and Rn. For example, molecules of oxygen, water, and phosphorous
are O2, H2O, and P4 respectively.
These molecules have 2, 3, and 4 atoms respectively.
Masses of one mole of substances are called molecular weights.
Atomic and molecular weights are called molar masses.
The above illustrates only a very small number of examples. There are millions of compounds in the world. Please think of some other compounds you know of, and write down their formulas. Then figure out the number of atoms in each more of your compounds.
Different substances have different molecular masses. Thus, equal masses have different numbers of atoms, molecules, or moles. On the other hands, equal numbers of moles of different substances have different masses. The stoichiometric relationships among reactants and products may be complicated in units of g, but much simpler relationships are seen if we deal with units of moles or natural units of atoms and molecules.
Moles (mol) represent amounts of substances in the unit of Avogadro's number (6.022x1023) of atoms and molecules. Since empirical formulas such as Fe2+ ions and Fe2O3 are used for ionic compounds, a mole represent Avogadro's number of ions or per formula as written. A mole of Fe2+ has 6.022x1023 ions, and a mole of Fe2O3 has 1.204x1024 Fe and 1.8066x1024 O atoms, a total of 3.0x1024 Fe and O atoms.
The mole is a very important unit for chemical reactions, so is the skill to convert masses in g to mol. The number of moles of a substance in a sample is the mass in g divided by the molar mass gives the amount in moles.
| mole = | mass (g) ------------------- molar mass (g / mol) |
|---|
| density = | mass (g) ------------------ volume (cm3) |
|---|---|
| mass = | density (g cm-3) * volume cm3) |
These fundamental formulas are results of the definition of these terms.