How many grams of carbon-12 are present in 1 mole of carbon-12?

• A. 6 grams
• B. 18 grams
• C. 12 grams
• D. 24 grams

Answer: (C)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand that 1 mole of any element contains Avogadro's number of atoms, which is approximately \$6.022 \times 10^{23}$ atoms.
2. Recall that the molar mass of an element (in grams per mole) is numerically equal to its atomic mass (in atomic mass units, amu). For carbon-12, the atomic mass is exactly 12 amu.
3. Recognize that the molar mass of carbon-12 is therefore 12 grams per mole, meaning 1 mole of carbon-12 atoms has a mass of 12 grams.
4. Use the relationship: \(\text{mass in grams} = \text{number of moles} \times \text{molar mass (g/mol)}\).
5. Since the problem asks for the mass of 1 mole of carbon-12, multiply 1 mole by 12 g/mol to find the mass in grams.