How many carbon atoms are there in a diamond (pure carbon) with a mass of 52 mg?

Key Concepts

Molar Mass of Carbon

The molar mass of carbon is approximately 12.01 g/mol. This value represents the mass of one mole of carbon atoms, which is essential for converting between mass and the number of atoms. In this case, knowing the molar mass allows us to calculate how many moles of carbon are present in the given mass of diamond.

Avogadro's Number

Avogadro's number, approximately 6.022 x 10²³, is the number of atoms or molecules in one mole of a substance. This constant is crucial for determining the number of individual carbon atoms in the diamond once the number of moles has been calculated from the mass. It provides a bridge between the macroscopic scale of grams and the microscopic scale of atoms.

Mass to Moles Conversion

To find the number of carbon atoms in the diamond, we first convert the mass of the diamond from milligrams to grams (52 mg = 0.052 g). Then, we use the molar mass of carbon to convert this mass into moles. Finally, multiplying the number of moles by Avogadro's number gives the total number of carbon atoms present in the diamond.