Question

A single molecule has a mass of$\mathbf{7}\mathbf{.}\mathbf{31}\mathbf{\times }{\mathbf{10}}^{\mathbf{-}\mathbf{23}}\mathit{g}$ Provide an example of a real molecule that can have this mass.

Short answer

There can be various examples, one of which is${\text{CO}}_{\text{2}}$.

Step-by-step solution

Concept of atom

The first step is to understand what contributes to the mass of an atom. An atom consists of electrons, neutrons, and protons. Since neutrons and protons contribute to the major fraction of an atom’s mass we have to calculate how many neutrons and protons comprise the given mass. Since the mass of the neutron is equal to the mass of the proton that is,$\text{1.67}\times {\text{10}}^{\text{- 24}}\text{g}$.

We can have $\frac{7.31\times {10}^{-23}}{1.67\times {10}^{-24}}\gg 44$nuclear particles.

Example of molecules

This means that the total number of neutrons and protons combined is 44. We have to find the molecule with the mass number of 44.

Conclusion

There can be various examples, one of which is${\text{CO}}_{\text{2}}$.