1. What is Molar Mass?

Molar mass is the mass of one mole of a substance (chemical element or chemical compound). It is a physical property defined as the mass of a given substance divided by the amount of substance in grams per mole (g/mol).

2. How Does the Calculator Work?

The calculator uses the formula:

Where:

• \( MM \) — Molar mass (g/mol)
• \( \text{atomic masses} \) — Standard atomic weights of elements
• \( \text{counts} \) — Number of atoms of each element in the formula

Explanation: The calculator parses the chemical formula, identifies each element and its count, then sums the products of each element's atomic mass and its count in the formula.

3. Importance of Molar Mass

Details: Molar mass is fundamental in chemistry for stoichiometric calculations, converting between mass and moles of a substance, preparing solutions, and determining empirical and molecular formulas.

4. Using the Calculator

Tips: Enter the chemical formula using standard notation (e.g., H2O for water, C6H12O6 for glucose). The formula is case-sensitive (capitalize element symbols correctly).

5. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1: What's the difference between molar mass and molecular weight?
A: They are numerically equivalent but molar mass has units of g/mol while molecular weight is dimensionless.

Q2: How do I calculate molar mass for hydrates?
A: Include the water molecules in the formula (e.g., CuSO4·5H2O). The calculator will account for all atoms.

Q3: What if my compound contains parentheses?
A: This calculator handles simple formulas without nested parentheses. For complex formulas, manual calculation may be needed.

Q4: Why are atomic masses not whole numbers?
A: Atomic masses account for natural isotopic abundance. For example, chlorine has isotopes Cl-35 and Cl-37.

Q5: How accurate is this calculator?
A: It uses standard atomic weights. For precise work, use IUPAC's most recent atomic weights and consider isotopic composition.