A sugar crystal contains approximately 1.8×10¹⁷ sucrose (C₁₂H₂₂O₁₁) molecules. What is its mass in mg?

Key Concepts

Molar Mass

Molar mass is the mass of one mole of a substance, typically expressed in grams per mole (g/mol). For sucrose (C12H22O11), the molar mass can be calculated by summing the atomic masses of all the constituent atoms: 12 carbon (C), 22 hydrogen (H), and 11 oxygen (O) atoms. This value is essential for converting between the number of molecules and mass.

Avogadro's Number

Avogadro's number, approximately 6.022 x 10^23, is the number of particles (atoms, molecules, etc.) in one mole of a substance. This constant allows chemists to relate the macroscopic scale of substances (grams) to the microscopic scale (molecules). In this problem, it helps to determine how many moles of sucrose correspond to the given number of molecules.

Unit Conversion

Unit conversion is the process of converting a quantity expressed in one set of units to another. In this context, converting the mass of sucrose from grams to milligrams is necessary, as the final answer is requested in milligrams (mg). Understanding how to perform these conversions is crucial for accurately reporting measurements in chemistry.