Understanding molar mass is fundamental when dealing with chemical calculations. In simple terms, molar mass is the mass of one mole of a substance. A mole is a handy unit used in chemistry to express amounts of a chemical substance. To calculate the molar mass of a compound like glucose, we sum the atomic masses of all the atoms present in the molecule.
For glucose \( \mathrm{C}_6\mathrm{H}_{12}\mathrm{O}_6 \), this involves adding the mass of:
- 6 carbon atoms
- 12 hydrogen atoms
- 6 oxygen atoms
Consult a periodic table to determine the atomic masses:
- \( \mathrm{Carbon} = 12.01 \, \mathrm{g/mol} \)
- \( \mathrm{Hydrogen} = 1.01 \, \mathrm{g/mol} \)
- \( \mathrm{Oxygen} = 16.00 \, \mathrm{g/mol} \)
By multiplying the number of each type of atom with its atomic mass and then adding them together, we find that the molar mass of glucose is:\( 72.06 \, \mathrm{g/mol} + 12.12 \, \mathrm{g/mol} + 96.00 \, \mathrm{g/mol} = 180.18 \, \mathrm{g/mol} \).By knowing these calculations, you can understand how much one mole of glucose weighs, which is vital for converting between grams and moles in calculations.