How to Find Mass in Grams of a Single Atom

Atoms are building units of molecules. The mass is an important characteristic of an element, and hence computing atomic masses is a frequent assignment in chemistry. However, atomic weights given in the periodic table of elements correspond to one mole of an element. Moles are a unit of quantity used in chemistry and physics. One mole of any substance contains the number of atoms that equals to the Avogadro constant.

Instructions

1. • 1

     Use the value of the Avogadro constant, which is 6.02214129 x 10^23 mol-1.

   • 2

     Find the atomic mass of the element by using the periodic table of elements. For example, the atomic mass of sulfur (S) is 32.07 g/mole.

   • 3

     Divide the atomic mass of the element by the Avogadro constant to calculate the mass of the single atom. In this example, the mass of the sulfur atom is 32.07 / 6.02214129 x 10^23 = 5.325 x 10^-23 grams.