How many moles of lead are in #1.50 * 10^12# atoms of lead?

1 Answer
Nov 24, 2015

#2.49 * 10^(-12)"moles Pb"#

Explanation:

Before doing any calculations, it's worth noting that atoms do not contain moles, it's the other way around.

A mole is simply a collection of atoms. More specifically, you need to have exactly #6.022 * 10^(23)# atoms of an element in order to have one mole of that element - this is known as Avogadro's number.

In your case, you must determine how many moles of lead would contain #1.50 * 10^(12)# atoms of lead.

Well, if you know that one mole of lead must contain #6.022 * 10^(23)# atoms of lead, it follows that you get #1.50 * 10^12# atoms of lead in

#1.50 * 10^12 color(red)(cancel(color(black)("atoms of Pb"))) * "1 mole Pb"/(6.022 * 10^(23)color(red)(cancel(color(black)("atoms of Pb")))) = color(green)(2.49 * 10^(-12)"moles Pb")#

Here's an excellent video on Avogadro's number and the mole featuring Professor Martyn Poliakoff from Periodic Videos