Understanding molar mass is essential in chemistry because it helps us find out how much of a substance we have. Molar mass is the mass of one mole of a substance, typically measured in grams per mole (g/mol). For glucose, the molar mass is 180 g/mol. This means if you have one mole of glucose, it weighs 180 grams.
Calculating molar mass involves adding up the atomic masses of all atoms in a molecule. For glucose, the chemical formula is \( \text{C}_6\text{H}_{12}\text{O}_6 \). To calculate molar mass:
- Carbon (C) has an atomic mass of about 12; for 6 carbon atoms, that's \( 6 \times 12 = 72 \).
- Hydrogen (H) has an atomic mass of about 1; for 12 hydrogen atoms, that's \( 12 \times 1 = 12 \).
- Oxygen (O) has an atomic mass of about 16; for 6 oxygen atoms, that's \( 6 \times 16 = 96 \).
Adding these up gives \( 72 + 12 + 96 = 180 \) g/mol. Once you know the molar mass, you can find the number of moles of a substance by dividing its mass by its molar mass. This step is crucial in many chemical calculations.