What is the average mass of a single sulfur atom in grams?

• A. 3.20 × 10^{-22} grams
• B. 1.66 × 10^{-24} grams
• C. 5.32 × 10^{-23} grams
• D. 2.00 × 10^{-23} grams

Answer: (C)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Identify the atomic mass of sulfur from the periodic table, which is approximately 32.06 atomic mass units (amu).
2. Recall that 1 atomic mass unit (amu) is defined as exactly 1.66053906660 × 10^{-24} grams.
3. Use the relationship to convert the atomic mass of sulfur to grams by multiplying the atomic mass (in amu) by the mass of one amu in grams: \(\text{mass of one sulfur atom} = 32.06 \times 1.66053906660 \times 10^{-24} \text{ grams}\).
4. Perform the multiplication of the numerical values (without calculating the final number here) to find the mass of a single sulfur atom in grams.
5. Express the result in scientific notation to match the format of the answer choices.