How many carbon atoms are present in 1.00 mole of methane (CH_4)?

• A. 6.022 × 10^{23} carbon atoms
• B. 3.01 × 10^{23} carbon atoms
• C. 1.00 × 10^{24} carbon atoms
• D. 2.41 × 10^{24} carbon atoms

Answer: (A)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Identify the chemical formula of methane, which is CH_4. This means each molecule of methane contains 1 carbon atom.
2. Recall that 1 mole of any substance contains Avogadro's number of entities (atoms, molecules, etc.), which is approximately \$6.022 \times 10^{23}$.
3. Since 1 mole of methane contains \$6.022 \times 10^{23}$ molecules, and each molecule has 1 carbon atom, the number of carbon atoms in 1 mole of methane is equal to Avogadro's number.
4. Write the expression for the number of carbon atoms: Number of carbon atoms = (number of molecules) \(\times\) (carbon atoms per molecule) = \$6.022 \times 10^{23} \times 1$.
5. Conclude that the number of carbon atoms in 1 mole of methane is \$6.022 \times 10^{23}$ carbon atoms.