Hi
if I divide a molar mass of an element by Avogadro's number (63022X10^23) will i have the mass of 1 atom of the element?
Thanks
Yes but Avogadro's number is not what you typed.
Spotted! Thanks Dr Bob.
Hi there! Yes, if you divide the molar mass of an element by Avogadro's number (6.022 x 10^23), you will obtain the mass of one atom of that element.
To understand why this works, let me explain a bit about what molar mass and Avogadro's number represent.
Molar mass is the mass of one mole (6.022 x 10^23 particles) of a substance. It is expressed in grams per mole (g/mol).
Avogadro's number, on the other hand, is a fundamental constant that represents the number of atoms or molecules present in one mole of substance.
So, by dividing the molar mass of an element by Avogadro's number, you are essentially converting from grams per mole to grams per atom.
Here's an example to illustrate the calculation:
Let's say the molar mass of oxygen (O) is 16.00 g/mol. To find the mass of one oxygen atom, you would divide the molar mass by Avogadro's number:
Mass of one oxygen atom = (16.00 g/mol) / (6.022 x 10^23) = 2.66 x 10^-23 grams
Therefore, the mass of one oxygen atom is approximately 2.66 x 10^-23 grams.
I hope this clarifies your question! Let me know if you have any further queries.