(Extended) The mole and the Avogadro constant
The mole (mol) is the unit of amount of substance: one mole contains 6.02 x 10^23 particles, the Avogadro constant. Name the particles: atoms for an element, molecules for , ions for an ionic solid. Amount, mass and molar mass are linked by , rearranging to and , giving an amount, a mass or an . Molar mass is in g/mol; is the same value, unitless. Particle count .
(Extended) Molar gas volume and reacting masses
At r.t.p. one mole of any gas occupies 24 dm^3 (= 24000 cm^3), so dm^3 and . Note . Reacting masses route through moles: balance, convert the known mass with , apply the mole ratio, convert back to a mass () or a gas volume. With two reactant amounts, divide each by its coefficient - the smaller is the limiting reactant and fixes the product; the other is in excess.
Concentration measured in g/dm^3
Concentration in grams per cubic decimetre is the one idea in this topic that needs no mole at all: concentration (g/dm^3) = mass of solute (g) divided by volume of solution (dm^3). Volumes are usually quoted in cm^3, so convert first, using : 20 g of solute made up to 500 cm^3 (= 0.5 dm^3) gives g/dm^3. A mole-based concentration in mol/dm^3 is Extended and is met later, with titrations in C12 - it is not required here.
Drawn from real examiner reports.
(Extended) Mr of a gas: O2 is 32, not 16
Use the relative formula mass of the actual species, not the of one atom. Oxygen gas is , so , not 16; hydrogen is , ; nitrogen is , ; carbon dioxide is , , not 28. Count every subscript - is 106, not 83 or 90. A halved doubles every answer after it.
Flagged Jun 2022 P41 Q11c, P42 Q11e; Nov 2023 P41 Q5d, P42 Q8d, P42 Q11d
(Extended) O2 and N2 are diatomic
Elemental oxygen, nitrogen and hydrogen exist as diatomic molecules, not lone atoms. Candidates gave N or 2N as the product of reducing NO instead of . The same slip is what drives the molar-mass error: write O rather than and every mole, mass and gas-volume answer downstream is wrong. Write the formula out in full before you count atoms.
Flagged Jun 2022 P16 Q16, P42 Q8aii; Nov 2023 P11 Q15
(Extended) n = m/Mr, never Mr/m
The upside-down formula is one of the digest cross-cutting failures, and it bites hardest here. Amount in moles = mass divided by molar mass. For 50 g of () that is mol; inverting gives 2 mol - a factor of four out, and every mass or volume derived from it is then wrong. Write the formula down, substitute, and only then divide.
(Extended) Gas volume: which way is x1000?
The molar gas volume is 24 dm^3 = 24000 cm^3 per mole - use one of them, not both. Multiplying by 24000 and then by 1000 again is the classic slip. The direction is dm^3 x 1000 = cm^3, and cm^3 divided by 1000 = dm^3, so 6 dm^3 is 6000 cm^3. Then check which unit the question actually asked for: a right number in the wrong unit scores nothing.
Flagged Jun 2022 P41 Q11c, P42 Q11e; Nov 2023 P41 Q5d, P42 Q8d, P42 Q11d
(Extended) Limiting reactant = fewest moles
The limiting reactant is not the one of smaller mass, nor of smaller . Convert both reactants to moles, divide each by its coefficient, and the smallest result runs out first. For 0.10 mol Mg with 0.15 mol HCl in : against , so HCl limits. Keep using its ratio - mol, not 0.15.
Flagged Jun 2022 P41 Q11c, P42 Q11e; Nov 2023 P41 Q5d, P42 Q8d, P42 Q11d
(Extended) Avogadro constant is not 24 dm^3
Both are per-mole quantities, which is why they get swapped. The Avogadro constant () is a number of particles per mole and applies to any substance. The molar gas volume (24 dm^3 at r.t.p.) is a volume per mole and applies to gases only. Use for a particle count, and for a gas volume.
Concentration: divide by dm^3, not cm^3
Convert the volume before you divide: 20 g of solute in 500 cm^3 gives g/dm^3, not . Then give the unit the topic actually asks for - here concentration means mass of solute per cubic decimetre, g/dm^3. A concentration in mol/dm^3 is Extended and is met later with titrations, so quoting it here answers a different question.
Flagged Jun 2022 P41 Q11c, P42 Q11e; Nov 2023 P41 Q5d, P42 Q8d, P42 Q11d
(Extended) The four-step stoichiometry route
Balance the symbol equation first, remembering the diatomic gases - but if a word equation is asked for, use words, not formulae. Then: known quantity to moles (, or for a gas); apply the mole ratio from the equation; convert back to a mass or a volume.
(Extended) Do both reactants before deciding
On a limiting-reactant question, run the mass-to-moles step for both reactants first. Divide each amount by its coefficient, take the smaller, and carry only that reactant into the mole ratio. Picking whichever reactant the question names first is a guess, not a method.
Calculate means show the working
Set it out line by line: formula, substitution, answer - method marks survive an arithmetic slip only if the examiner can see the method. Do not round part-way through a calculation: carry the full value and round only the final answer, to sensible significant figures.
Attach a unit to every answer
mol, g, dm^3, cm^3, g/dm^3 - an unlabelled number is marked wrong even when the digits are right, and omitting units is one of the failures the digest records across all sittings and all three sciences. Check which unit the question asked for before you write the final line.
Cambridge 0654 spec reference: Section C3 "Stoichiometry", sub-topic C3.3 (Core + Extended). This leaf covers the Core idea that concentration can be measured in g/dm^3, and the Extended ideas of the mole, the Avogadro constant, the relationship , the molar gas volume (24 dm^3 at r.t.p.), and calculations of reacting masses, limiting reactants and gas volumes.
Scope note: most of this topic is Extended (Supplement) content -- every mole/Avogadro/gas-volume/reacting-mass idea is labelled (Extended) below. The single (Core) idea is concentration in g/dm^3. Mole-based concentration in mol/dm^3 and titration calculations are NOT part of this leaf.
| Term | Mark-scheme-precise meaning |
|---|---|
| Mole (mol) (Extended) | The unit of amount of substance; one mole of any substance contains 6.02 x 10^23 particles |
| Avogadro constant (Extended) | The number of particles in one mole, 6.02 x 10^23 per mole |
| Molar mass (Extended) | The mass of one mole of a substance, in g/mol; numerically equal to the relative formula mass |
| Molar gas volume (Extended) | The volume of one mole of any gas at r.t.p. = 24 dm^3 (= 24000 cm^3) |
| Concentration (g/dm^3) (Core) | Mass of solute (in g) dissolved per cubic decimetre (dm^3) of solution |
Core relationship (concentration):
Extended relationships (the mole):
where = amount (mol), = mass (g), = molar mass (g/mol). Unit link: .
(Extended) Write the relationship linking amount of substance, mass and molar mass.
(Extended) Sodium carbonate has the formula . Calculate its molar mass. (: Na = 23, C = 12, O = 16.) (2 marks)