Ammonium sulfate, (NH₄)₂SO₄, is used in fertilizers to provide nitrogen for the soil. (7.1, 7.2)a. How many formula units are in 0.200 mole of ammonium sulfate?

Verified step by step guidance

1. Identify the relationship between moles and formula units using Avogadro's number, which is 6.022 \times 10^{23} formula units per mole.
2. Recognize that the problem asks for the number of formula units in a given amount of moles of ammonium sulfate.
3. Set up the calculation by multiplying the number of moles of ammonium sulfate (0.200 moles) by Avogadro's number (6.022 \times 10^{23} formula units/mole).
4. Perform the multiplication to find the total number of formula units in 0.200 moles of ammonium sulfate.
5. Ensure the units cancel appropriately, leaving you with the number of formula units as the final unit.

Key Concepts

Mole Concept

The mole is a fundamental unit in chemistry that quantifies the amount of substance. One mole contains approximately 6.022 x 10²³ entities, such as atoms, molecules, or formula units. This concept is essential for converting between moles and the number of particles, allowing chemists to relate macroscopic quantities to microscopic entities.

Formula Units

A formula unit represents the simplest ratio of ions in an ionic compound. For ammonium sulfate, (NH₄)₂SO₄, one formula unit consists of two ammonium ions and one sulfate ion. Understanding formula units is crucial for calculating the number of particles in a given amount of substance, particularly in ionic compounds.

Avogadro's Number

Avogadro's number, 6.022 x 10²³, is the number of particles in one mole of a substance. It serves as a bridge between the macroscopic scale of substances we can measure and the microscopic scale of atoms and molecules. This constant is vital for determining how many formula units are present in a specific number of moles, such as in the case of ammonium sulfate.