High School

Select the correct answer.

The atomic mass of potassium is 39.1. What is the mass of [tex]$6.02 \times 10^{23}$[/tex] atoms of potassium?

A. [tex]\quad 39.1 \, \text{mg}[/tex]
B. [tex]\quad 39.1 \, \text{g}[/tex]
C. [tex]\quad 39.1 \, \text{kg}[/tex]
D. [tex]\quad 6.02 \times 39.1 \, \text{mg}[/tex]
E. [tex]\quad 6.02 \times 39.1 \, \text{g}[/tex]

Answer :

To determine the mass of [tex]\(6.02 \times 10^{23}\)[/tex] atoms of potassium, we start by understanding a few key facts:

1. Atomic Mass: The atomic mass of potassium is given as 39.1 atomic mass units (amu), but when referring to a mole of atoms, it is considered to be 39.1 grams per mole.

2. Avogadro's Number: This number [tex]\(6.02 \times 10^{23}\)[/tex] represents Avogadro's constant, which is the number of atoms in one mole of any substance.

Given this information, we can observe the following:

- The atomic mass in grams of one mole (which is [tex]\(6.02 \times 10^{23}\)[/tex] atoms) of any element is equal to its atomic mass listed in grams per mole.

- For potassium, the atomic mass and, therefore, the mass of one mole of potassium atoms is 39.1 grams.

So, when we have [tex]\(6.02 \times 10^{23}\)[/tex] atoms of potassium, this is precisely one mole. Thus, the mass of these atoms is:

- 39.1 grams

Therefore, the correct answer to the question is:

B. 39.1 g