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Mole

The standard SI measurement term in chemistry for communicating the amount of substance in any system which contains as many elementary entities as there are atoms in 12 grams [0.012 kilogram] of carbon-12, which is equivalent to Avogadro's number.

The mass of a single carbon-12 atom is 12 amu (atomic mass units). Different elements have different atomic masses, so molar mass can be easily figured on that basis for any elemental atom for which the amu is known. For instance, an atom of magnesium-24 has an amu of 24, thus the mass of 1 mole of Mg-24 would be 24 grams.

The mole can also refer to the number of any entities one cares to designate. One mole of donuts contains 6.022 x 1023 (Avogadro's number) donuts. The same would be true if the 'entities' were pennies, matchsticks or people.

Web Resources On Mole

ChemTeam: The Mole & Molar Mass
The Mole

Book Resources On Mole

Chemistry: Concepts and Problems: A Self-Teaching Guide by Clifford C. Houk and Richard Post
Molecular Biology of the Cell, Fourth Edition: a Problems Approach by Wilson/Hunt

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