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Edition, Chapter 3, Worksheet #1 S. B. Piepho, Spring 2006
Atomic Mass, Moles, and the Periodic Table
Atomic Mass and Molar Mass
Isotopic masses cannot be obtained by summing the masses of the elementary particles
(neutrons, protons, and electrons) from which the isotope is formed. This process would give
masses slightly too large, since mass is lost when the neutrons and protons come together to form
the nucleus.
Atomic masses (also called atomic weights) are thus assigned relative to the mass of a
particular carbon isotope,
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Edition, Chapter 3, Worksheet #1 S. B. Piepho, Spring 2006
6
12
C
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, which is assigned the mass of 12 amu exactly. Likewise 1 mole of
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Edition, Chapter 3, Worksheet #1 S. B. Piepho, Spring 2006
6
12
C

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Edition, Chapter 3, Worksheet #1 S. B. Piepho, Spring 2006
has a mass of exactly 12 g. Atomic masses and molar masses of other isotopes are calculated
based on their mass relative to that of Carbon-12.
Masses of average atoms are found by summing isotopic masses, weighting each isotopic
mass by its abundance (see Chang, p. 76). Thus one average C atom has a mass of 12.01 amu,
and the mass of 1 mole of average carbon atoms has a mass of 12.01 g. These average masses
are what are given on the periodic chart.
What is a Mole?
Since atoms and molecules are so tiny, it is convenient to talk about a large number of them
at a time. The chemical counting unit is known as the mole. A mole is defined as the amount of
substance that contains as many elementary entities (atoms, molecules, or other particles) as
there are atoms in exactly 12 g of the
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Edition, Chapter 3, Worksheet #1 S. B. Piepho, Spring 2006
6
12
C

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isotope. It has been found experimentally that
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Edition, Chapter 3, Worksheet #1 S. B. Piepho, Spring 2006
1 mole of particles = 6. 022 x 10
23
particles
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Edition, Chapter 3, Worksheet #1 S. B. Piepho, Spring 2006
This value is known as Avogadros number. Just like 1 dozen of anything always contains 12
items, 1 mole of anything always contains 6.022 x 10
23
items.
Molecular Masses and Compound Masses
Molecular masses are found by summing atomic masses (see Chang, pp. 81-82). They are
often called molecular weights. Thus the mass of 1 mole of water, H
2
O, would be 2 x (molar
mass of H) plus 1x (molar mass of O) or [(2 x 1.008 g) + (1 x 16.00 g)] = 18.02 g.
Ionic compounds such as NaCl do not contain molecules. Their formulas give the relative
numbers of each kind of atom in the sample. What we mean by the molar mass (or the molecular
weight) of an ionic compound is really the formula weight. The formula weight is the sum of the
atomic masses in the formula.
Percent Composition of Compounds
The percent composition by mass is the percent by mass of each element in a compound. If
there are n moles of an element per mole of compound, the percent by mass of the element is
calculated using the equation,
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Edition, Chapter 3, Worksheet #1 S. B. Piepho, Spring 2006
% Composition of Element =
n







100%
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The sum of the % compositions of all elements in a compound is 100%.
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Exercises
1. The atomic mass scale gives masses in atomic mass units (amu) relative to the mass of carbon-
12.
(a) What is the mass of one
12
C atom in atomic mass units (amu)? ____________
(b) What is the mass of an average C atom in atomic mass units (amu)? ____________
(c) What is the mass of an average Cl atom in amu? ____________
(d) What is the mass of an average Br atom in amu? ____________

2. The molar mass scale gives masses in grams (g) relative to the mass of
12
C.
(a) What is the mass in grams of 1 mole (mol) of
12
C? ___________
(b) What is the mass in grams of 1 mole (mol) of carbon? ___________
(c) What is the mass in grams of 1 mole (mol) of Cl? ___________
(d) What is the mass in grams of 1 mole (mol) of Na? ___________

3. How many
12
C atoms are present in a mole of
12
C ?

4. Cinnamic alcohol is used mainly in perfumery, particularly in soaps and cosmetics. Its
molecular formula is C
9
H
10
O.
(a) Calculate the percent composition by mass of C, H, and O in cinnamic alcohol.
(b) How many molecules of cinnamic alcohol are contained in a sample of mass 0.469 g?

Answers:
1. (a) 12 amu exactly; (b) 12.01 amu; (c) 35.45 amu; (d) 79.90 amu.
2. (a) 12 g exactly; (b) 12.01 g; (c) 35.45 g; (d) 22.99 g.
3. 6.022 x 10
23
atoms of
12
C.
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4. (a) 80.56% C; 7.51% H; 11.93% O; (b) 2.11 x 10
21
molecules of C
9
H
10
O.
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