1. What is Molecular Mass?

Molecular mass (also called molecular weight) is the sum of the atomic masses of all the atoms in a molecule. It's typically expressed in atomic mass units (u) or grams per mole (g/mol).

2. How Does the Calculator Work?

The calculator uses the formula:

Where:

• \( MM \) — Molecular mass (g/mol)
• Each atomic mass is taken from the periodic table
• The sum includes all atoms in the molecular formula

Explanation: The calculator parses the chemical formula, identifies each element and its count, then sums their atomic masses.

3. Importance of Molecular Mass

Details: Molecular mass is crucial for stoichiometric calculations, preparing molar solutions, determining empirical formulas, and many other chemical calculations.

4. Using the Calculator

Tips: Enter the chemical formula using standard notation (e.g., H2O for water, C6H12O6 for glucose). The calculator is case-sensitive (Na for sodium, not NA).

5. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1: What's the difference between molecular mass and molar mass?
A: They are numerically identical but molecular mass refers to a single molecule while molar mass refers to one mole of substance.

Q2: How do I calculate molecular mass manually?
A: Look up each element's atomic mass on the periodic table, multiply by the number of atoms in the formula, and sum all values.

Q3: What about ionic compounds?
A: The same principle applies - we calculate formula mass by summing atomic masses of all ions in the formula unit.

Q4: Why are atomic masses not whole numbers?
A: Atomic masses account for natural isotopic abundance. For example, chlorine's atomic mass (35.45) reflects the mix of Cl-35 and Cl-37 isotopes.

Q5: How accurate are these calculations?
A: The calculator uses standard atomic weights. For precise work, use exact isotopic masses and account for significant figures.