Question

How many hydrogen atoms are found in one dozen methane molecules? Give your answer in terms of a number (such as 17 or \(3.25 \times 10^{15} \mathrm{H}\) atoms).

Short answer

48 hydrogen atoms

Step-by-step solution

Understand Methane's Molecular Structure

A molecule of methane, denoted by \(CH_4\), consists of one carbon atom and four hydrogen atoms.

Consider the meaning of dozen

One dozen of anything equals 12 units. In this case, we have a dozen methane molecules, so we have 12 methane molecules.

Multiply the Hydrogen Atoms by the Number of Molecules

Since a single molecule of methane contains 4 hydrogen atoms, to figure out how many hydrogen atoms are in 12 methane molecules, multiply 4 by 12, which gives us 48 hydrogen atoms.