I need to convert 0.17mg of NaCl to formula mass units. How would I go about that?
0.17mg = 1.7E-4g
formula mass units = grams/formula mass.
The answer I got is 2.9X10^-6. I converted 0.17mg to 0.00017g and the divided this number by the formula mass, which would be 23+35.45=58.45g/mol NaCl.
Is my math wrong? The computer says it's not the right answer.
To convert 0.17mg of NaCl to formula mass units, we need to first understand the concept of formula mass and the conversion between mass units.
Formula mass, also known as molar mass or molecular weight, is the mass of a substance expressed in atomic mass units (amu). It represents the sum of the atomic masses of all the atoms in a molecule's chemical formula.
To calculate the formula mass of NaCl, we need to know the atomic masses of sodium (Na) and chlorine (Cl). The atomic mass of Na is approximately 22.99 amu, and the atomic mass of Cl is approximately 35.45 amu.
NaCl consists of one sodium atom (Na) and one chlorine atom (Cl), so its formula mass can be calculated as:
Formula mass of NaCl = Atomic mass of Na + Atomic mass of Cl
Formula mass of NaCl = 22.99 amu + 35.45 amu
Formula mass of NaCl = 58.44 amu
Now, to convert 0.17mg of NaCl to formula mass units, we can use the concept of conversion factors. We know that:
1 mg = 1/1000 g
1 g = 1/1000 kg
1 kg = 1000 g
1 amu = 1.66054 x 10^-24 g
Using these conversion factors, we can convert 0.17mg of NaCl to formula mass units as follows:
0.17 mg * (1 g / 1000 mg) * (1 kg / 1000 g) * (1 amu / 1.66054 x 10^-24 g) = x amu
Calculating this expression will give you the value of x, which represents the converted value in formula mass units.
Note: The final answer might be a very small number since 0.17mg is a very tiny quantity. Make sure to use a calculator or a tool that can handle small values and scientific notations for the final calculation.