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Question 6.5: Converting Mass to Moles How many moles of sucrose are in a ......

Converting Mass to Moles

How many moles of sucrose are in a tablespoon of sugar containing 2.85 g? (The molar mass of sucrose, C_{12}H_{22}O_{11}, was calculated in Worked Example 6.4 to be 342.0 g/mol)

STRATEGY

The problem gives the mass of sucrose and asks for a mass-to-mole conversion. Use the molar mass of sucrose as a conversion factor, and set up an equation so that the unwanted unit cancels.

worked example 6.5
Step-by-Step
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\begin{aligned}2.85 \ \cancel{ g \ sucrose } \times \frac{1 \text { mol sucrose }}{342.0 \ \cancel{g \ sucrose}} & =0.00833 \mathrm{~mol} \text { sucrose } \\& =8.33 \times 10^{-3} \mathrm{~mol} \text { sucrose }\end{aligned}

BALLPARK CHECK

Because the molecular weight of sucrose is 342.0, 1 mol of sucrose has a mass of 342.0 g. Thus, 2.85 g of sucrose is a bit less than one-hundredth of a mole, or 0.01 mol. The estimate agrees with the detailed solution.

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