What is the molar mass of calcium nitrate, Ca(NO_3)_2?

• A. 102.09 g/mol
• B. 164.10 g/mol
• C. 40.08 g/mol
• D. 85.00 g/mol

Answer: (B)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Identify the chemical formula of calcium nitrate, which is Ca(NO\_3)\_2. This means the compound contains 1 calcium (Ca) atom, 2 nitrogen (N) atoms, and 6 oxygen (O) atoms (since each NO\_3 group has 3 oxygen atoms and there are 2 such groups).
2. Find the atomic masses of each element from the periodic table: calcium (Ca) ≈ 40.08 g/mol, nitrogen (N) ≈ 14.01 g/mol, and oxygen (O) ≈ 16.00 g/mol.
3. Calculate the total mass contributed by each element in the formula: multiply the atomic mass of each element by the number of atoms of that element in the formula. For example, for nitrogen, multiply 14.01 g/mol by 2.
4. Add all the contributions together to get the molar mass of calcium nitrate: \(\text{Molar mass} = (1 \times 40.08) + (2 \times 14.01) + (6 \times 16.00)\) g/mol.
5. Sum these values to find the total molar mass of Ca(NO\_3)\_2, which will give you the molar mass in grams per mole.