Calculate the number of molecules of sulfur (S8) present in 16 g of solid sulfur. (Atomic mass of sulfur = 32)

To calculate the number of molecules of sulfur (\text{S}_8) present in 16g of solid sulfur, we'll follow these steps:

Step 1: Find the molar mass of \text{S}_8
Step 2: Calculate the number of moles of \text{S}_8 in 16g
Step 3: Use Avogadro's number to find the number of molecules

Step 1: Find the molar mass of \text{S}_8 (molecular mass of one \text{S}_8 molecule)
The molecular formula of sulfur is \text{S}_8, which means it consists of 8 sulfur atoms bonded together in a molecule. To find the molar mass, we need to consider the atomic mass of sulfur (32 g/mol) multiplied by the number of sulfur atoms in one molecule:

Molar mass of \text{S}_8 = 8 \times \text{atomic mass of S} = 8 \times 32 , \text{g/mol} = 256 , \text{g/mol}

Step 2: Calculate the number of moles of \text{S}_8 in 16g
Number of moles = Mass (g) / Molar mass (g/mol)
Number of moles of \text{S}_8 = 16 , \text{g} / 256 , \text{g/mol} = 0.0625 , \text{mol}

Step 3: Use Avogadro's number to find the number of molecules
Avogadro's number is the number of atoms or molecules in one mole of a substance, and its value is approximately 6.022 \times 10^{23}.

Number of molecules = Number of moles \times Avogadro's number
Number of molecules of \text{S}_8 = 0.0625 , \text{mol} \times 6.022 \times 10^{23} , \text{molecules/mol} \approx 3.76 \times 10^{22} molecules

Therefore, there are approximately 3.76 \times 10^{22} molecules of \text{S}_8 present in 16g of solid sulfur.