Understanding molar mass is essential for solving many chemistry problems. Molar mass refers to the mass of one mole of a given substance. To find it, you sum up the atomic masses of all the atoms in the chemical formula. For example, let's examine calcium chloride, \(\mathrm{CaCl}_{2}\):
1. **Calcium (Ca):** has an atomic mass of 40.08 g/mol.
2. **Chlorine (Cl):** each has an atomic mass of 35.45 g/mol, and since there are two chlorines, you multiply by 2.
The calculation is:
- \( (1 \times 40.08) + (2 \times 35.45) = 40.08 + 70.90 = 110.98\) g/mol.
This gives us the molar mass of \(\mathrm{CaCl}_2\), which helps in converting the mass of a compound to moles, a fundamental step in stoichiometry.