What is the molar mass of calcium carbonate (CaCO_3)?

• A. 60.08 g/mol
• B. 84.08 g/mol
• C. 40.08 g/mol
• D. 100.09 g/mol

Answer: (D)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Identify the chemical formula of calcium carbonate, which is CaCO\_3. This means the compound contains 1 calcium (Ca) atom, 1 carbon (C) atom, and 3 oxygen (O) atoms.
2. Find the atomic masses of each element from the periodic table: calcium (Ca) is approximately 40.08 g/mol, carbon (C) is approximately 12.01 g/mol, and oxygen (O) is approximately 16.00 g/mol.
3. Calculate the total mass contributed by each element by multiplying the atomic mass by the number of atoms in the formula: for calcium, multiply 40.08 g/mol by 1; for carbon, multiply 12.01 g/mol by 1; for oxygen, multiply 16.00 g/mol by 3.
4. Add the masses of all the elements together to get the molar mass of calcium carbonate: \(\text{Molar mass} = (1 \times 40.08) + (1 \times 12.01) + (3 \times 16.00)\) g/mol.
5. Sum these values to find the total molar mass of CaCO\_3, which will give you the molar mass in grams per mole.