Determining the Number of Hydrogen Atoms in 4.00 Moles of Glucose

Understanding Glucose Structure

Glucose is a fundamental carbohydrate with the chemical formula C6H12O6. Its structure contains 6 carbon atoms, 12 hydrogen atoms, and 6 oxygen atoms. The presence of these atoms in a specific ratio is crucial for understanding the properties and behavior of glucose.

Avogadro's Number, named after the Italian scientist Amadeo Carlo Avogadro, is a fundamental constant in chemistry. This number is defined as the number of particles (atoms, molecules, ions, etc.) in one mole of a substance, which is equal to 6.022 × 1023.

Calculating Hydrogen Atoms in 4.00 Moles of Glucose

To determine the total number of hydrogen atoms in 4.00 moles of glucose, we can follow these steps:

Step 1: Calculate the Number of Molecules in 4.00 Moles of Glucose

First, we need to find the number of molecules in 4.00 moles of glucose:

Number of molecules moles × Avogadro's number

Number of molecules 4.00 moles × 6.022 × 1023 molecules/mole

Number of molecules 2.4088 × 1024 molecules

Step 2: Calculate the Total Number of Hydrogen Atoms

Each molecule of glucose contains 12 hydrogen atoms. Therefore, we can find the total number of hydrogen atoms in 4.00 moles of glucose by multiplying the number of molecules by the number of hydrogen atoms per molecule:

Total hydrogen atoms Number of molecules × hydrogen atoms per molecule

Total hydrogen atoms 2.4088 × 1024 molecules × 12 H atoms/molecule

Total hydrogen atoms 2.89056 × 1025 H atoms

Therefore, there are approximately 2.89 × 1025 hydrogen atoms in 4.00 moles of glucose.

Alternative Approach

An alternative method involves directly using the empirical formula and Avogadro's number:

Since there are 12 hydrogen atoms in one mole of glucose, we can calculate the total number of hydrogen atoms in 4.0 moles as follows:

Amount of hydrogen atoms 12 atoms/molecule × 4.0 moles × 6.022 × 1023 molecules/mole

Amount of hydrogen atoms 2.891 × 1025 atoms

Summary

The key concept is using Avogadro's number to convert moles to the number of molecules, and then multiplying by the number of hydrogen atoms per molecule to find the total number of hydrogen atoms. This method can be generalized to other molecules as well.

Understanding the number of hydrogen atoms in a given amount of glucose is important in various scientific and industrial applications, including biochemistry, pharmacology, and the production of glucose-based products.

Related Keywords

Hydrogen Atoms in Glucose

Moles of Glucose

Avogadro's Number