Unit 1 · Atomic Structure and Properties

Chapter 1.1

Counting Atoms by Weighing: Moles, Molar Mass, and Mass Spectra

A gram of hydrogen holds more atoms than there are grains of sand on Earth, yet a balance counts them for you. The trick is knowing exactly how much one atom weighs, and a mass spectrometer tells you.

lesson 1 of 45

By the end

  1. 01Convert among mass, moles, and particle count with Avogadro's number and molar mass
  2. 02Explain why the molar mass in grams matches the average particle mass in amu
  3. 03Read an element's mass spectrum to identify isotopes and their abundances
  4. 04Compute an average atomic mass as an abundance-weighted mean of isotope masses

In unit 1

  1. 1.1Counting Atoms by Weighing: Moles, Molar Mass, and Mass Spectra
  2. 1.2What Is It Made Of: Empirical Formulas and the Composition of Mixtures
  3. 1.3Where the Electrons Are: Configurations and Photoelectron Spectroscopy
  4. 1.4Reading the Periodic Table: Trends, Valence Electrons, and Ions
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