Question

a sample of carbon contains ( 4.0 \times 10^{23} ) atoms. a sample of silver also contains ( 4.0 \times 10^{23} ) atoms. which sample has the greater mass? why? match the words in the left column to the appropriate blanks in the sentences on the right. number of moles of atoms silver carbon volume mass the samples have the same number of atoms and, therefore, the same since has a greater molar mass, the sample has a greater mass.

Explanation:

• Avogadro's number (\(6.022\times 10^{23}\) atoms/mol) is used to convert the number of atoms to moles. Since both samples have the same number of atoms (\(4.0\times 10^{23}\) atoms), they have the same number of moles of atoms.
• Molar mass (\(M\)) is the mass per mole of a substance (\(M=\frac{m}{n}\), where \(m\) is mass and \(n\) is the number of moles). The molar mass of carbon (\(C\)) is approximately \(12.01\space g/mol\), and the molar mass of silver (\(Ag\)) is approximately \(107.87\space g/mol\).
• Using the formula \(m = n\times M\), with \(n\) (number of moles) being the same for both samples, the sample with the higher molar mass will have a greater mass.

Answer:

The samples have the same number of atoms and, therefore, the same number of moles of atoms. Since silver has a greater molar mass, the silver sample has a greater mass.