In calculations, do the molar masses of diatomic elements ever need to be doubled to account for this?

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In calculations, do the molar masses of diatomic elements ever need to be doubled to account for this?

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Answer 1 · 2015-03-24T04:41:20

Yes. Diatomic elements exist as molecules with the basic formula $X_{2}$ $"X"_2"$ , where $X$ $"X"$ represents the element, and $X_{2}$ $"X"_2"$ represents a molecule consisting of two $X$ $"X"$ atoms covalently bonded. Therefore, the molar mass for one $X$ $"X"$ atom is doubled when determining the molar mass of the molecule $X_{2}$ $"X"_2$ .

For example, a molecule of hydrogen gas has the formula $H_{2}$ $"H"_2"$ , which means it consists of two hydrogen atoms covalently bonded. The molar mass of a single hydrogen atom is 1 g/mol. The molar mass of a hydrogen molecule is 2 x 1 g/mol = 2 g/mol.

Likewise, a molecule of oxygen gas has the formula $O_{2}$ $"O"_2$ . The molar mass of a single oxygen atom is 16 g/mol. The molar mass of an $O_{2}$ $"O"_2$ molecule is 2 x 16g/mol = 32 g/mol.

Note: Given molar masses have been rounded to a whole number.

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In calculations, do the molar masses of diatomic elements ever need to be doubled to account for this?

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