Question

Which of the samples described below contains the FEWEST atoms? No calculation is needed to answer this question.

10 g Se
10 g Cu
10 g Ba
All three samples contain the same number of atoms.

Answer 1

Hello!

To do this, use the molar mass. This is how much a mole of an atom weighs. A mole is 6.02214076×10²³ atoms.

Molar masses of:

Se: 78.96 g/mol

Cu: 63.546 g/mol

Ba: 137.327 g/mol

Now, the element with the highest molar mass will have the fewest atoms. This is because the element weighs more, so therefore for the same amount of mass, there will be less of the element needed to reach that mass.

Therefore, 10g of Ba would have the fewest number of atoms.

Hope this helps!