If you have 3 moles of O_2, how many molecules of oxygen gas do you have?

• A. 3.00 \times 10^{23} molecules
• B. 6.02 \times 10^{23} molecules
• C. 1.81 \times 10^{24} molecules
• D. 1.81 \times 10^{24} molecules

Answer: (D)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Identify the given quantity: you have 3 moles of O_2 molecules.
2. Recall Avogadro's number, which is the number of molecules in one mole: \$6.02 \times 10^{23}$ molecules/mole.
3. Set up the calculation to find the total number of molecules by multiplying the number of moles by Avogadro's number: \(\text{Number of molecules} = 3 \text{ moles} \times 6.02 \times 10^{23} \text{ molecules/mole}\).
4. Perform the multiplication of the numerical coefficients (3 and 6.02) and add the exponents of 10 accordingly to express the answer in scientific notation.
5. Express the final answer as the total number of oxygen molecules in scientific notation, which corresponds to the number of molecules in 3 moles of O_2.