What is the mass of one mole of carbon-12 atoms?

1 Answer
anor277
Aug 5, 2016

#1# #mol# of #""^12C# atoms has a mass of #12.00*g# precisely.

Explanation:

The mole is the link between the micro world of atoms and molecules to the macro world of grams and kilograms. By definition, #N_A# #""^12C# atoms, i.e. #"Avogadro's number, "6.022xx10^23# #""^12C# atoms has a mass of #12.00*g#.

But wait a minute! When I look at the Periodic Table, it gives the equivalent mass of #C# as #12.011*g*mol^-1#. Why is there a discrepancy?

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