NaHCO3 is known by several names: sodium bicarbonate, baking soda, cooking soda, bread soda and bicarbonate of soda. NaHCO3 is used in cooking, fire extinguishers, antacids, soft drinks, deodorizers and chemical reactions. In many applications, a specific molarity of NaHCO3 is required. Therefore, it is practical to know how to determine how much NaHCO3 is needed to make a single mole.
A mole is a unit of chemical measurement. A mole of an element or compound has a mass in grams equal to its atomic or formula weight. Knowing the formula of a compound (such as NaHCO3), a mole is easily calculated using a Periodic Table.
Things You'll Need
Periodic table
Sodium bicarbonate
Chemist's scale
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Instructions
1
The atomic mass of an element is listed below its symbol.
Locate the atomic masses of sodium (Na), hydrogen (H), carbon (C) and oxygen (O) on the Peroidic Table. The atomic masses are listed directly below each element's symbol on the table. The atomic masses are in grams.
2
A mole is the total sum of a compound's atomic masses.
Sum one atomic mass each for sodium, hydrogen and carbon, plus three atomic masses of oxygen.The formula for sodium bicarbonate is one atom of sodium, one atom of hydrogen, one atom of carbon and three atoms of oxygen. Your total will be 84 grams of NaHCO3.
3
Moles are measured out in grams.
Using a spoon, weigh out the total sum calculated in grams of sodium bicarbonate needed for one mole on a chemist's scale. You now have one mole of NaHCO3.