Question

which of the following contains the highest number of atoms?
1 mole of oxygen.
1 mole of carbon.
1 mole of plutonium
all contains an equal number of atoms.

Explanation:

Step1: Recall Avogadro's number

Avogadro's number, \(N_A = 6.022\times 10^{23}\) atoms/mol, represents the number of particles (atoms, molecules, etc.) in one mole of a substance.

Step2: Analyze moles of atoms

For any element, 1 mole of the element contains \(N_A\) number of atoms, regardless of the type of element (as long as we are considering atoms, not molecules).

• 1 mole of Oxygen (O) atoms: contains \(6.022\times 10^{23}\) O atoms.
• 1 mole of Carbon (C) atoms: contains \(6.022\times 10^{23}\) C atoms.
• 1 mole of Plutonium (Pu) atoms: contains \(6.022\times 10^{23}\) Pu atoms.

Answer:

All contains an equal number of atoms.