MOLE PROBLEMS

1. The structure of a pure solid can be viewed as spherical atoms stacked neatly into a regular
array, and the solid can often be divided into tiny cubes each containing a given number of
atoms. For example, a silicon crystal consists of cubes each containing eight spherical
silicon atoms, and each cube is 543.1 pm on a side. Use this information, along with the
average molar mass of silicon and its density (2.328994 g/cm3), to determine Avogadro’s
number. (NOTE: This is how the number was actually determined)
2. Suppose you arranged a mole of moles, head to tail in a straight line stretching from the
earth to the moon. Assume your average mole is 6.00 inches long; the distance of the moon
is 2.50 x 105 miles, more or less. How many columns of moles would there be between the
earth and the moon?
3. Each time you inhale, you take in about 500.0 ml of each air; each milliliter of air contains
about 2.50x1019 molecules. It has been estimated that Abraham Lincoln delivering the
Gettysburg Address, inhaled about 201 times.
a. How many molecules did Lincoln take in?
b. In the entire atmosphere, there are about 1.80 x 1020 mol of air. What fraction of the
molecules in the atmosphere was inhaled by Lincoln at Gettysburg.
c. In the next breath that you take, estimate the number of molecules that had been
inhaled by Lincoln at Gettysburg.
4. Carbon tetrachloride, CCl4, was a popular dry-cleaning agent until it was shown to be
carcinogenic. It has a density of 1.594 g/cm3. What volume of carbon tetrachloride (in m3)
will contain a total of 5.00x1024 molecules of CCl4?
3
5. The density of ethyl alcohol, C2H5OH, is 0.789 g/cm at 25°C. Calculate
a. the number of moles in 355 mL of ethyl alcohol.
b. the mass of 2.87 mol of ethyl alcohol.
6. A 5-cent coin, the nickel, actually contains mostly copper. The metal used is 75.0% copper
and 25.0% nickel by weight. If a 5-cent coin weighs 5.10 g, how many grams of copper and
nickel does it contain? How many moles of each? How many atoms of each?
7. The international markets in precious metals operate in the weight unit “troy ounce” (where 1
troy ounce is equivalent to 31.1 g). Platinum sells for $487.00 per troy ounce.
a. How many moles are there in one troy ounce to 3 sig figs?
b. If you have $5000.00 to spend, how many grams and how many moles of platinum
can be purchased to 3 sig figs?
8. “Dilithium” is the fuel for the Starship Enterprise. Because its density is quite low, you will
need a large space to store a large mass. As an estimate for the volume required, we shall
use the element Lithium. If you want to have 256 moles for an interplanetary trip, what must
the volume of a piece of lithium be? If the piece of lithium is a cube, what is the dimension of
an edge of the cube? (The density of lithium is 0.534 g/cm3 at 20°C.)

Answers: 1) 6.022 x 1023 atoms/mol 2) 2.28 x 1014 columns of moles 3a) 2.51 x 1024 molecules of air
3b) 2.32 x 10-20 of the atmosphere 3c) 2.90 x 102 of Lincoln’s molecules 4) 8.01 x 105 m3 5a) 6.08 mol
C2H5OH 5b) 132 g C2H5OH 6) 3.83 g of Cu and 1.27 g of Ni; .0603 mol of Cu and .0216 mol of Ni; 3.63 x
1022 atoms of Cu and 1.30 x 1022 atoms of Ni 7) .159 mols Pt; 319 g of Pt; 1.64 mols of Pt