The principal component of many kidney stones is calcium oxalate, CaC2O4. A kidney stone recovered from a typical patient contains 8.5 x 10^20 formula units of calcium oxalate. How many moles of CaC2O4 are present in this kidney stone? What is the mass of the kidney stone in grams?

Verified step by step guidance

1. insert step 1: Understand the problem by identifying the given information: 8.5 x 10^20 formula units of calcium oxalate (CaC2O4).
2. insert step 2: Use Avogadro's number (6.022 x 10^23 formula units/mol) to convert formula units to moles. Set up the conversion factor: (1 mole CaC2O4 / 6.022 x 10^23 formula units).
3. insert step 3: Calculate the number of moles of CaC2O4 by multiplying the given formula units by the conversion factor from step 2.
4. insert step 4: Determine the molar mass of CaC2O4 by adding the atomic masses of calcium (Ca), carbon (C), and oxygen (O) from the periodic table: Ca (40.08 g/mol) + 2 x C (12.01 g/mol) + 4 x O (16.00 g/mol).
5. insert step 5: Calculate the mass of the kidney stone in grams by multiplying the number of moles of CaC2O4 (from step 3) by the molar mass of CaC2O4 (from step 4).

Key Concepts

Moles and Avogadro's Number

A mole is a unit in chemistry that represents 6.022 x 10^23 entities, such as atoms or molecules. This number, known as Avogadro's number, allows chemists to convert between the number of particles and the amount of substance in moles. To find the number of moles of calcium oxalate in the kidney stone, one would divide the total number of formula units by Avogadro's number.

Molar Mass

Molar mass is the mass of one mole of a substance, typically expressed in grams per mole (g/mol). For calcium oxalate (CaC2O4), the molar mass can be calculated by summing the atomic masses of its constituent elements: calcium (Ca), carbon (C), and oxygen (O). This value is essential for converting moles of a substance into grams, which is necessary to determine the mass of the kidney stone.

Stoichiometry

Stoichiometry is the branch of chemistry that deals with the quantitative relationships between the reactants and products in a chemical reaction. It allows for the calculation of how much of a substance is needed or produced in a reaction. In this context, stoichiometry is used to relate the number of moles of calcium oxalate to its mass, facilitating the conversion from moles to grams based on the molar mass.