The mass of one molecule of carbon dioxide is _____________

Answer

To find the mass of one molecule of carbon dioxide (CO₂), we can follow these steps:

### Step 1: Identify the atomic masses
- The atomic mass of carbon (C) is 12 atomic mass units (amu).
- The atomic mass of oxygen (O) is 16 amu.

### Step 2: Write the chemical formula
- The chemical formula for carbon dioxide is CO₂, which indicates that one molecule contains one carbon atom and two oxygen atoms.

### Step 3: Calculate the total mass of one molecule of CO₂
- The mass contribution from the carbon atom:
\[ \text{Mass of C} = 1 \times 12 \, \text{amu} = 12 \, \text{amu} \]
- The mass contribution from the two oxygen atoms:
\[ \text{Mass of O} = 2 \times 16 \, \text{amu} = 32 \, \text{amu} \]
- Now, add the masses together to find the total mass of one molecule of CO₂:
\[ \text{Total mass of CO₂} = \text{Mass of C} + \text{Mass of O} = 12 \, \text{amu} + 32 \, \text{amu} = 44 \, \text{amu} \]

### Final Answer
The mass of one molecule of carbon dioxide is **44 atomic mass units (amu)**.

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