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The Mole Concept PDF
The Mole Concept PDF
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I hope you aren't going to tear open the package and count the nails. We agree that
The coefficients of a balanced chemical equation indicate the number of moles of each substance
in the
reaction. Thus, at the level of moles:
One mole of propane reacts with five moles of oxygen to form three moles of carbon dioxide and
four moles of water.
Avogadro's number is an accident of nature. It is the number of particles that delivers a mole of
a substance. Avogadro's number = 6.022 x 1023.
The reason why the value is an accident of nature is that the mole is tied to the gram mass
unit.
The gram is a convenient mass unit because it matches human sizes. If we were a thousand times
greater in size ( like Paul Bunyan) we would find it handy to use kilogram amounts. This means the
kilogram mole would be convenient. The number of particles handled in a kilogram mole is 1000
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times greater. The kilo Avogadro number for the count of particles in a kilomole is 6.022 x 1026.
If humans were tiny creatures (like Lilliputians) only 1/1000 our present size, milligrams would be
more convenient. This means the milligram mole would be more useful. The number of particles
handled in a milligram mole (millimole) would be 1/1000 times smaller. The milli Avogadro
number for the count of particles in a millimole is 6.022 x 1020.
Because it is not practical to count individual molecules, chemists use ratios of the masses of
molecules to carry out reactions. Mass ratios are determined by using the molecular masses of the
substances involved in a reaction.
Molecular mass provides the mass ratio we need for carrying out reactions. The mass ratio of one
HCl molecule to one ethylene molecule is 36.5 to 28 in the following equation.
More useful, however, is the fact that the mass ratio in grams is also 36.5 to 28.0. If we were to
combine 36.5 g HCl with 28 g ethylene in the laboratory, they would react in a 1:1 molecular ratio.
The molar mass of carbon is defined as the mass in grams that is numerically equal to the average
atomic weight. This means
This is the mass of carbon that contains 6.022 x 1023 carbon atoms. Avogadro's number is 6.022 x
1023 particles.
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The formula weight for water = weight from hydrogen + weight from oxygen
Example 1.
What is the molar mass for sulfur dioxide, SO2 (g), a gas used in
bleaching and disinfection processes.
1. Look up the atomic weight for each of the elements in the formula.
1 sulfur atom = 32 1 oxygen atom = 16
2. Count the atoms of each element in the formula unit. .
one sulfur atom ; two oxygen atoms
3. The formula weight = weight from sulfur + weight from oxygen
4. The formula weight = 1 sulfur atom x (32 ) + 2 oxygen atoms x (16 )
5. The formula weight SO2 = 32 + 32. = 64
Example 2: The formula for methane the major component in natural gas is CH4.
The formula weight for methane = weight from hydrogen + weight from carbon
The formula weight = weight from hydrogen + weight from carbon + weight from chlorine
The formula weight = 5 H atoms x 1.0 + 2 C atom x 12.0 + 1 Cl atom x 35.5 = 64.5
The molar mass for ethyl chloride = 64.5 grams
Mole, Molar Mass and Mass Conversions
Example.
How many grams of hydrogen are needed to give 3. moles of hydrogen?
1. Calculate the molar mass for hydrogen. Look up the atomic weight/mass in the periodic table
The molar mass for hydrogen is 1 mole H2 = 2 grams H2
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The practical way is to multiply the molar mass by the number of moles. This converts
mole to grams
(1000 grams H2O )(1 mole H2O/ 18. grams H2O) = 55.55 moles H2O
Example.
How many moles of sulfur dioxide, SO2 (g), are in 2000 grams of the
gas?
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4. Convert 2000 grams of SO2 to moles. The "conversion factor" is the molar mass.
(2000 grams SO2 )(1 mole SO2 /64. grams SO2 ) = 31.25 moles SO2,
The coefficients in the balanced equation tell the moles of each substance involved in
the equation
C : O : CO
2moles : 1 mole : 2moles
The reaction between nitrogen and oxygen to produce nitrogen dioxide is analyzed
here.
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Exercise: What is the mol ratio for nitrogen to oxygen? Answer: 1 mole N2 : 2 moles O2
Example:
How many grams of carbon are required to react completely with 100 g Fe2O3?
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Step 1: Write a balanced chemical equation (or check to see that a given equation is balanced). In this
case, a balanced chemical equation was given. Organize the information in the problem. It's often
helpful to write the amounts given underneath the balanced chemical equation.
100 g ?g
Step 2: Convert grams of a given substance to moles. Remember that substances react in terms of their
mole ratios, not their mass ratios. To convert grams of Fe2O3 to moles, we need to know the molar mass
of this compound.
= 160 g/mol
Step 3: Use coefficients in the balanced chemical equation to find the mole ratio. Relate moles of what
you were given to moles of what you are determining using the mole ratio.
Step 4: Convert moles to grams using molar mass as a conversion factor. It's always a good idea to
check to make sure you have answered the question you were asked. Here you were asked to calculate
grams of carbon. Another step or two would be necessary if you had been asked to report your answer in
some other unit, such as kg.
Example:
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reactants involved.
According to the stoichiometry of the balanced equation, the mole ratio should be
We see that there is not enough NO2, and thus NO2 is the limiting reactant. H2O is the excess reactant.
Once the limiting reactant is consumed, no additional product can be formed. We therefore use the
limiting reactant to calculate the amount of product.
All of the limiting reactant is consumed, so no NO2 remains. Stoichiometry will allow us to calculate the
amount of H2O remaining by first determining how much H2O reacts.
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Example: What is the theoretical yield of Al2S3 when 10.0 g of aluminum is reacted with excess
sulfur according to the equation below?
Next, we relate moles of aluminum to moles of product using the stoichiometric coefficients as a
mole ratio:
Example: A student performing the reaction above collected 18.7 g Al2S3. What is her percent
yield?
Percent Yield
The percent yield is defined as
The predicted yield is determined by the masses used in a reaction and the mole ratios in the
balanced equation. This predicted yield is the "ideal". It is not always possible to get this amount
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of product. Reactions are not always simple. There often are competing reactions. For example, if
you burn carbon in air you can get carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide formed. The two
reactions occur simultaneously. Some carbon atoms end up in CO and others end up in CO2
Example:
What is the percent yield for a reaction if you predicted the formation of 21. grams of
C6H12 and actually recovered only 3.8 grams?
1. Recall
definition of
percent yield.
Example:
A reaction between solid sulfur and oxygen produces sulfur dioxide.
The reaction started with 384 grams of S6 (s). Assume an unlimited supply of
oxygen. What is the predicted yield and the percent yield if only 680 grams of
sulfur dioxide are produced?
1 S6 (s) 6 O2 (g) 6 SO2 (g)
Step 1 : Calculate the molar masses for S6 (s) and SO2(g). The oxygen has no effect on the
answer because there is more than you need.
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moles S6 (s) = [384 g S6 (s)][ 1 mole S6 (s)/ 192 g S6 (s)] = 2 moles S6 (s)
Step 4: Calculate the moles of SO2(g) expected using the mole ratio 6 SO2(g) / 1 S6 (s)
Step 5: Calculate the grams of SO2(g) predicted using 1 mole SO2(g) = 64 grams SO2(g)
grams SO2(g) = 12 moles SO2(g)[64 grams SO2(g)/1 mole SO2(g)] = 768 g SO2(g)
Step 6: Calculate the percent yield using the definition
Percent yield = 100[actual yield/ predicted yield] = 100[680 grams SO2(g)/ 768 g SO2(g)]= 89%
Many chemical reactions occur in solution. In order to make stoichiometric calculations for these
reactions, we need to be able to express the concentration of reactants in solution. One of the most useful
concentration units is moles/dm3 (molarity abbreviated M). Using moles/dm3 as a conversion factor is
quite useful.
In the laboratory, solutions are prepared according to several steps. Let's prepare 250 mL of a 0.100 M
solution of NaCl. (Unless otherwise noted, solutions are aqueous and water is the solvent.)
First, we have to do a calculation. We need to know how many grams of NaCl to weigh.
Next, we weigh this amount on a balance and transfer the solid to a 250 mL volumetric flaska very
precise piece of glassware designed to contain only a specific volume of liquid.
Finally, we add our solventin this case, waterto the flask. First, we add a small amount to dissolve
the solute. Then we add water up to the calibration mark on the flask and mix well.
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Solution Stoichiometry
Moles/dm3 serves as a useful link between the volume of a solution and the number of moles of a solute.
The flow diagram below summarizes the steps in stoichiometry calcuations involving solutions.
Example:
How many mL of a 0.90 M solution of HCl is
required to react with 4.16 g CaCO3, according
to the equation below?
CaCO3(s) + 2 HCl(aq)-------CaCl2(aq) +
CO2(g) + H2O(l)
In this problem, we are given the
concentration of the HCl solution. We are
given a mass in grams of one of the reactants.
So our first step is to convert mass to moles.
Now we can convert moles of HCl to volume of HCl using the moles/dm3.
8.31 x 10-2 mol HCl (1 dm3 solution / 0.90 mol HCl) = 9.23 x 10-2 L HCl solution
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