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Ch.2 - Atoms & Elements
Chapter 2, Problem 123

Pure gold is usually too soft for jewelry, so it is often alloyed with other metals. How many gold atoms are in an 0.255-ounce, 18 K gold bracelet? (18 K gold is 75% gold by mass.)

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Key Concepts

Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.

Molar Mass

Molar mass is the mass of one mole of a substance, typically expressed in grams per mole (g/mol). For gold (Au), the molar mass is approximately 197 g/mol. Understanding molar mass is essential for converting between grams and moles, which is necessary for calculating the number of atoms in a given mass of gold.
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Alloy Composition

An alloy is a mixture of two or more elements, where at least one is a metal. In the case of 18 K gold, it contains 75% gold by mass and 25% other metals. This composition affects the properties of the material, such as hardness and color, and is crucial for determining the actual mass of gold in the bracelet.
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Avogadro's Number

Avogadro's number, approximately 6.022 x 10^23, is the number of atoms, ions, or molecules in one mole of a substance. This constant allows chemists to relate the mass of a substance to the number of particles it contains. In this problem, it is used to convert the number of moles of gold into the actual number of gold atoms present in the bracelet.
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Related Practice
Textbook Question

Naturally occurring chlorine is composed of two isotopes: 75.76% Cl-35 (mass 34.9688 amu) and 24.24% Cl-37 (mass 36.9659 amu). Naturally occurring oxygen is composed of three isotopes: 99.757% O-16 (mass 15.9949 amu), 0.038% O-17 (mass 16.9991 amu), and 0.205% O-18 (mass 17.9991 amu). The compound dichlorine monoxide is composed of two chlorine atoms and one oxygen atom bonded together to form the Cl2O molecule. How many Cl2O molecules of different masses naturally exist? Give the masses of the three most abundant Cl2O molecules.

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Textbook Question

Silver is composed of two naturally occurring isotopes: Ag-107 (51.839%) and Ag-109. The ratio of the masses of the two isotopes is 1.0187. What is the mass of Ag-107?

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Textbook Question

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) sets limits on healthful levels of air pollutants. The maximum level that the EPA considers safe for lead air pollution is 1.5 µg/m3. If your lungs were filled with air containing this level of lead, how many lead atoms would be in your lungs? (Assume a total lung volume of 5.50 L.)

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Textbook Question

A volatile liquid (one that easily evaporates) is put into a jar and the jar is then sealed. Does the mass of the sealed jar and its contents change upon the vaporization of the liquid?

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Textbook Question

Let a triangle represent atoms of element A and a circle represent atoms of element B. b. Draw an atomic view of the compound AB in a liquid state (molecules close together).

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