Avogadros Number - Example Chemistry Problem

Avogadros Number Chemistry Problem Avogadros number is used in chemistry when you need to work with very large numbers. Its the basis for the mole unit of measurement, which provides an easy way to convert between moles, mass, and the number of molecules. For example, you can use the number to find the number of water molecules in a single snowflake. (Hint: Its an enormous number!) Avogadros Number Example Problem - Number of Molecules in a Given Mass Question: How many H2O molecules are there in a snowflake weighing 1 mg? Solution: Step 1 - Determine the mass of 1 mole of H2O Snowflakes are made of water, or H2O. To obtain the mass of 1 mole of water, look up the atomic masses for hydrogen and oxygen from the Periodic Table. There are two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen for every H2O molecule, so the mass of H2O is: mass of H2O 2 (mass of H) mass of Omass of H2O 2 ( 1.01 g ) 16.00 gmass of H2O 2.02 g 16.00 gmass of H2O 18.02 g Step 2 - Determine the number of H2O molecules in one gram of water One mole of H2O is 6.022 x 1023 molecules of H2O (Avogadros number). This relation is then used to convert a number of H2O molecules to grams by the ratio: mass of X molecules of H2O / X molecules mass of a mole of H20 molecules / 6.022 x 1023 molecules Solve for X molecules of H2O X molecules of H2O ( 6.022 x 1023 H2O molecules ) / ( mass of a mole H2O  · mass of X molecules of H2O Enter the values for the question:X molecules of H2O ( 6.022 x 1023 H2O molecules ) / ( 18.02g  · 1 g )X molecules of H2O 3.35 x 1022 molecules/gram There are 3.35 x 1022 H2O molecules in 1 g of H2O. Our snowflake weighs 1 mg and 1 g 1000 mg. X molecules of H2O 3.35 x 1022 molecules/gram  · (1 g /1000 mg )X molecules of H2O 3.35 x 1019 molecules/mg Answer There are 3.35 x 1019 H2O molecules in a 1 mg snowflake. Avogadros Number Problem Key Takeaways Avogadros number is 6.02 x 1023. It is the number of particles in a mole.You can use Avogadros number to convert between mass and the number of molecules of any pure substance.If you are given the mass of a sample (such as a snowflake), convert the mass to moles, and then use Avogadros number to convert from moles to molecules.