What is the mass of 1 molecule of CO?

Options

A. `2.325 xx 10^(-23)`
B. `4.65 xx 10^(-23)`
C. `3.732 xx 10^(-23)`
D. `2.895 xx 10^(-23)`

Explanation

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

### Step 1: Determine the molecular mass of CO
- The molecular mass of CO is calculated by adding the atomic masses of carbon (C) and oxygen (O).
- The atomic mass of carbon (C) is approximately 12 g/mol, and the atomic mass of oxygen (O) is approximately 16 g/mol.
- Therefore, the molecular mass of CO = 12 g/mol + 16 g/mol = 28 g/mol.

### Step 2: Use Avogadro's number
- Avogadro's number (N_A) is approximately 6.022 × 10²³ molecules/mol. This means that one mole of any substance contains 6.022 × 10²³ molecules.

### Step 3: Calculate the mass of one molecule of CO
- We know that 28 grams of CO corresponds to 6.022 × 10²³ molecules.
- To find the mass of one molecule of CO, we can use the formula:
\[ \text{Mass of one molecule} = \frac{\text{Molecular mass}}{\text{Avogadro's number}} = \frac{28 \text{ g/mol}}{6.022 \times 10^{23} \text{ molecules/mol}} \]

### Step 4: Perform the calculation
- Now, we can calculate the mass of one molecule:
\[ \text{Mass of one molecule} = \frac{28}{6.022 \times 10^{23}} \approx 4.65 \times 10^{-22} \text{ g} \]

### Final Answer
- The mass of one molecule of CO is approximately \( 4.65 \times 10^{-22} \) grams.

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