Tuesday's Word

mole* In chemistry, the unit we use for dealing with atoms, ions, and molecules is the mole, abbreviated mol.** A mole is defined as the amount of matter that contains as many objects (atoms, molecules, or whatever objects we are considering) as the number of atoms in exactly 12 g of carbon (12.0 amu). From numerous experiments, scientists have determined the number of atoms in this quantity of carbon to be 6.0221367 X 1023. This number is given a special name: Avogadro's number, in honor of Amedeo Avogadro (1776-1856), an Italian scientist.

This week's Word comes via the esteemed Sarah Jackson, for whom I have chemisty!

*Chemistry: The Central Science, Sixth Edition, Brown, LeMay, Bursten, Prentice-Hall.

**The term mole comes from the Latin word moles, meaning "a mass." The term molecule is the diminutive form of this word and means "a small mass."