To determine the molar mass of a compound, you add the atomic masses of all atoms in its chemical formula. Atomic mass is typically given in atomic mass units (amu). For aspirin (\( \text{C}_9\text{H}_8\text{O}_4 \)), you have:
- 9 carbon atoms, each with an atomic mass of 12.01 amu
- 8 hydrogen atoms, each with an atomic mass of 1.01 amu
- 4 oxygen atoms, each with an atomic mass of 16.00 amu
To find the molar mass, use the formula:\[\text{Molar mass} = (9 \times 12.01) + (8 \times 1.01) + (4 \times 16.00)\]This gives a molar mass of 180.16 g/mol for aspirin. Molar mass converts the mass of a substance (in grams) to the amount (in moles) using the relationship:\[\text{Moles} = \frac{\text{mass in grams}}{\text{molar mass in g/mol}}\]For instance, converting 44.2 mg of aspirin to grams (0.0442 g) and using its molar mass:\[\text{Moles of aspirin} = \frac{0.0442}{180.16}\]This calculation tells you there are about 0.000245 moles of aspirin.