Question: How many moles are in 1000 g of sucrose?

1. Obtain the atomic mass

First, write down the formula for sucrose: C₁₂H₂₂O₁₁

2. Calculate the molar mass of sucrose

To calculate the molar mass of a substance, you must use the periodic table. Look for the atomic mass of each element present in the compound. Then use a table such as the one below to calculate the the sum of the atomic masses of the compound’s constituent atoms.

Element	Symbol	Atomic mass (amu)	#n atoms	Mass
Hydrogen	H	1.008	22	22(1.008) = 22.176 amu
Carbon	C	12.01	12	12(12.01) = 144.12 amu
Oxygen	O	16.00	11	11(16.00) = 176.00 amu
				Molecular mass of sucrose = (22.176 + 144.12 + 176.00) = 342.296 amu

The molar mass of sucrose is simply the molecular mass expressed as g/mol.

Molar mass of sucrose = 342.296 g/mol

3. Calculate the number of moles

Apply the formula to calculate the number of moles

The answer can be rounded to 3 mol.

(Note: The symbol for mole is “mol”)

 

Usefulness of moles

• Knowing the number of moles allows you to calculate the number of atoms if you are dealing with chemical compounds.
• Moles are very useful, they allow chemists to use chemical equations to determine the mass of reactants and products.

Read about Avogadro Constant