How do you calculate the number of moles of a solute?

To calculate the number of moles of a solute, you need to divide the mass of the solute by its molar mass. Moles are a measure of the number of particles (atoms, molecules, or formula units) in a substance, and molar mass tells us how much one mole of that substance weighs.

The relationship can be represented by the formula:

[ \text{Number of moles} = \frac{\text{mass of solute (g)}}{\text{molar mass (g/mol)}} ]

This formula highlights that knowing both the mass of the solute and its molar mass allows you to determine how many moles are present. For instance, if you have 10 grams of sodium chloride (NaCl), and its molar mass is approximately 58.44 g/mol, using this formula would give you:

[ \text{Number of moles} = \frac{10 \text{ g}}{58.44 \text{ g/mol}} \approx 0.171 \text{ moles} ]

This method is fundamental in chemistry as it connects mass measurements to the amount of substance in a quantitative way.

The other methods provided in the choices do not