THE MOLE CONCEPT
In chemistry the mole is a fundamental unit in the SI system, and it is used to measure the amount of substance. This quantity is sometimes referred to as the chemical amount.
Visualizing a mole as a pile of particles, however, is just one way to understand this concept. A sample of a substance has a mass, volume (generally used with gases), and number of particles that is proportional to the chemical amount (measured in moles) of the sample. For example, one mole of oxygen gas (O 2 ) occupies a volume of 22.4 L at standard temperature and pressure (STP; 273K and 1 atm), has a mass of 31.998 grams, and contains about 6.022 × 10 23 molecules of oxygen. Measuring one of these quantities allows the calculation of the others and this is frequently done in stoichiometry.
The mole is to the amount of substance (or chemical amount) as the gram is to mass.
Visualizing a mole as a pile of particles, however, is just one way to understand this concept. A sample of a substance has a mass, volume (generally used with gases), and number of particles that is proportional to the chemical amount (measured in moles) of the sample. For example, one mole of oxygen gas (O 2 ) occupies a volume of 22.4 L at standard temperature and pressure (STP; 273K and 1 atm), has a mass of 31.998 grams, and contains about 6.022 × 10 23 molecules of oxygen. Measuring one of these quantities allows the calculation of the others and this is frequently done in stoichiometry.
The mole is to the amount of substance (or chemical amount) as the gram is to mass.
- Laurenz Xilec Lim