Question

What is the approximate mass of a carbon atom in atomic mass units (amu)? How about a carbon dioxide molecule?

Answer 1

Answer: The atomic mass of carbon is 12 amu and that of carbon dioxide is 44 g/mol

Explanation:

Molar mass is defined as the sum of the mass of all the atoms each multiplied its atomic masses that are present in the molecular formula of a compound. It is expressed in g/mol.

We know that:

Atomic mass of carbon = 12 amu

We are given a chemical compound, carbon dioxide having chemical formula of $CO_2$

Molar mass of carbon = 12 g/mol

Molar mass of oxygen = 16 g/mol

Evaluating the molar mass of carbon dioxide, we get:

Molar mass of $CO_2=[12+(2\times 16)]=44g/mol$

Hence, the atomic mass of carbon is 12 amu and that of carbon dioxide is 44 g/mol