Calculate the molar mass of H2O
The molar mass of a substance is defined as the mass of one mole of that substance. It is expressed in grams per mole (g/mol). To calculate the molar mass of H2O, we need to know the atomic mass of each element in the molecule.
The atomic mass of hydrogen (H) is 1.008 g/mol and the atomic mass of oxygen (O) is 15.999 g/mol. Therefore, the molar mass of H2O can be calculated as follows:
Molar mass of H2O = (2 x atomic mass of hydrogen) + (1 x atomic mass of oxygen)
= (2 x 1.008 g/mol) + (1 x 15.999 g/mol)
= 2.016 g/mol + 15.999 g/mol
= 18.015 g/mol
Therefore, the molar mass of H2O is 18.015 g/mol.
Explanation:
Molar mass is a measurement of the mass of a substance in grams per mole. It is a useful unit when working with chemical reactions and equations because it allows us to easily measure and calculate the amount of substance present.
In this problem, we are given the chemical formula for water, which is H2O. This means that each molecule of water contains 2 atoms of hydrogen (H) and 1 atom of oxygen (O). To calculate the molar mass of H2O, we need to know the atomic mass of each element.
The atomic mass of an element is the mass of one atom of that element relative to the mass of one atom of carbon-12. It is measured in atomic mass units (amu). The periodic table displays the atomic mass of each element, and we can use this information to calculate the molar mass of a compound.
In our case, we have two atoms of hydrogen, each with an atomic mass of 1.008 amu, and one atom of oxygen with an atomic mass of 15.999 amu. So, to find the molar mass of H2O, we simply add the atomic masses of each element, taking into account the number of atoms present in the compound.
This calculation can be represented as:
Molar mass of H2O = (2 x atomic mass of hydrogen) + (1 x atomic mass of oxygen)
= (2 x 1.008 amu) + (1 x 15.999 amu)
= 2.016 amu + 15.999 amu
= 18.015 amu
To convert the value into grams per mole, we simply multiply by the conversion factor of 1 g/mol = 1 amu. This gives us a molar mass of 18.015 g/mol.
In conclusion, the molar mass of H2O is 18.015 g/mol. This value is important in various applications, such as determining the amount of water produced in a chemical reaction or calculating the amount of a substance needed for a specific reaction.