Molar mass is a measure of the mass of one mole of a substance. It is expressed in grams per mole (g/mol) and is numerically equal to the atomic or molecular weight of the substance. Molar mass is an important concept in chemistry and is used in various calculations, such as determining the amount of a substance in moles or the mass of a given number of moles of a substance.
The molar mass of an element is equal to its atomic mass in atomic mass units (amu). For a compound, the molar mass is the sum of the atomic masses of all the atoms in the compound. To calculate the molar mass of a compound, you multiply the atomic mass of each element by the number of atoms of that element in the compound, and then sum the results.
Calculate the molar mass of water (H2O).
Molar mass = 2(atomic mass of hydrogen) + 1(atomic mass of oxygen)
Molar mass = 2(1.008 amu) + 1(15.999 amu) = 18.015 amu
Molar mass is used in various calculations in chemistry, such as determining the number of moles of a substance from its mass, or the mass of a substance from its number of moles. It is also used in stoichiometry to calculate the quantities of substances involved in chemical reactions.
By mastering the concept of molar mass and its applications, you will be better prepared to solve various types of problems in chemistry that involve the quantitative aspects of chemical reactions and compounds.