How many moles is 158.5 grams of CaCl2
To determine the number of moles in a given amount of a substance, you need to know the molar mass of the substance. The molar mass of any element or compound is calculated by summing up the atomic masses of all the atoms present in it.
In this case, we are given the mass of CaCl2 as 158.5 grams. To find the molar mass of CaCl2, we first need to determine the atomic masses of calcium (Ca) and chlorine (Cl) from the periodic table:
- The atomic mass of calcium (Ca) is approximately 40.08 g/mol.
- The atomic mass of chlorine (Cl) is approximately 35.45 g/mol.
Since there are two chlorine atoms in CaCl2, we multiply the atomic mass of chlorine by 2 to account for both atoms:
35.45 g/mol × 2 = 70.9 g/mol
Now, we add the atomic masses of calcium and chlorine together to find the molar mass of CaCl2:
40.08 g/mol + 70.9 g/mol = 111.98 g/mol
So, the molar mass of CaCl2 is approximately 111.98 g/mol. To find the number of moles, we divide the given mass (158.5 grams) by the molar mass of CaCl2:
158.5 g ÷ 111.98 g/mol ≈ 1.415 moles
Therefore, 158.5 grams of CaCl2 is approximately equal to 1.415 moles.