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Cambridge IGCSE Chemistry · 0620

Chapter 3: Stoichiometry — Part 3

Topic 3.3a · The mole and the Avogadro constant

The mole unit

The mole (mol)
The SI unit of amount of substance. One mole contains the same number of particles as there are atoms in exactly 12 g of carbon-12.
Avogadro constant
The number of particles in one mole of any substance: 6.02 × 1023 (particles may be atoms, molecules, ions, or electrons).
Molar mass
The mass of one mole of a substance. Numerically equal to the Mr (or Ar for an element), with units g/mol (or g mol-1). Example: Mr of NaCl = 58.5, so molar mass = 58.5 g/mol.

Basic mole calculations

Amount from mass
n = m ÷ Mr (or n = m ÷ molar mass). Rearrangements: m = n × Mr; Mr = m ÷ n.
Particles from moles
Number of particles = Avogadro constant × moles = 6.02 × 1023 × n.
Atoms in molecules
For molecular substances, first find molecules, then multiply by the number of atoms per molecule. Example: 1 mol of CH4 contains 6.02 × 1023 molecules, each with 5 atoms ? 5.01 × 1024 atoms.

Exam Traps

  • Do not confuse moles of molecules with moles of atoms — 1 mol CH4 contains 5 mol of atoms.

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