How many CH4 molecules are contained in a 50gram sample of CH4 gas?
moles=50/molmassCH4
molecues=moles*avagnumber
To determine the number of CH4 molecules in a given sample, we need to use the concept of molar mass and Avogadro's number.
1. Start by finding the molar mass of CH4. The periodic table tells us that the atomic mass of carbon (C) is 12.01 g/mol, and the atomic mass of hydrogen (H) is 1.01 g/mol. CH4 consists of one carbon atom and four hydrogen atoms, so we calculate the molar mass as follows:
(1 * 12.01 g/mol) + (4 * 1.01 g/mol) = 16.05 g/mol
2. Now, we can use the molar mass to convert the given mass of the sample (50 grams) to moles. We divide the mass by the molar mass:
50 g / 16.05 g/mol = 3.115 mol
3. Avogadro's number states that there are approximately 6.022 × 10^23 entities (molecules, atoms, or formula units) in one mole of any substance. The number is often rounded to 6.022 × 10^23 for simplicity.
4. Finally, we multiply the number of moles by Avogadro's number to calculate the number of CH4 molecules:
3.115 mol * 6.022 × 10^23 molecules/mol ≈ 1.875 × 10^24 CH4 molecules
Therefore, there are approximately 1.875 × 10^24 CH4 molecules in a 50 gram sample of CH4 gas.