I understand how a mole works, however, I have no clue how Avogadro got the specific number of 6.02×10^23.
In: 68
I have a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry, and as far as I’m aware the number itself essentially has no meaning. The concept of the mole is incredibly useful for stoichiometric equivalence, but for this the actual 6.02 * 10^23 could have been essentially any number.
Where the actual number of molecules in a mole becomes relevant, and why 6.02 * 10^23 is used, has to do with molar mass. Ever wonder why a mole of a substance has the same mass, in grams, as the atomic mass of the substance’s constituent atoms? A mole of water has a mass of 18.0528g, and a single molecule of water has a mass of 18.0528 daltons. What a coincidence!….. Or is it? In reality, by changing the number of molecules in this concept we have called a mole, we can make this conversion work perfectly. So, in short, 6.02 * 10^23 is exactly the number of molecules necessary to convert the units of mass of a molecule, called daltons, into the units of mass relevant to chemistry, grams.
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