Which statement best describes a mole?

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A mole is the smallest unit of a chemical element that retains its properties.

A mole is a unit that represents a fixed number of atoms, molecules, or particles.

A mole is a measurement of the mass of an atom or molecule.

A mole is the smallest part of a compound that can participate in a chemical reaction.

Correct Answer:

A mole is a unit that represents a fixed number of atoms, molecules, or particles.

Explanation:

In chemistry, a mole is the SI unit of measurement. It's used to represent the quantity of the particles that a specific sample contains. Unlike the usual measurement units, chemistry deals with extremely small quantities like atoms, molecules, and ions. It also does so for the larger quantities. So a Mole is used to represent the quantity of a 6.022 × 10²³ ( Avogadro’s number) number of chemical entities, making the process of weighing them, easier.

Why Not the Other Options?

• A. Incorrect – The smallest unit of a chemical element is an atom, not a mole.
• C. Incorrect – A mole measures the quantity of particles, not mass. Mass is measured in grams or atomic mass units (AMU).
• D. Incorrect – The smallest part of a compound that can participate in a chemical reaction is a molecule or an ion, not a mole.

Some important facts related to Mole

• The mole was introduced by the chemist Wilhelm Ostwald in 1902.
• Avogadro’s number was not accurately determined until the development of X-ray crystallography in the early 20th century.
• The term “mole” comes from the German word "Mol", which was derived from the Latin word "moles" meaning mass or pile. A mole is considered so important in chemistry because it allows people to relate the number of particles involved in the process to a measurable quantity. This can be in terms of mass and even volume.
• A mole is directly related to the molar mass of the particle. So for example, 1 Mole of H?O is equal to its atomic mass of 18.02 g/mol.
• Mole is commonly used to balance the chemical equations as that would require precise quantities to determine the amount of reactant and products.