Mole Concept & Stoichiometry

ICSE Class 10 Chemistry • Chapter 05

1. Gay-Lussac's Law of Combining Volumes

Statement: When gases react together, they do so in volumes which bear a simple whole number ratio to one another and to the volumes of products, all volumes measured under the same conditions of temperature and pressure.

Example: H₂ + Cl₂ → 2HCl

1 volume + 1 volume → 2 volumes

Ratio = 1 : 1 : 2

2. Avogadro's Law

Statement: Equal volumes of all gases, under the same conditions of temperature and pressure, contain equal number of molecules.

Avogadro's Number (Nₐ): $6.022 \times 10^{23}$

This is the number of particles in one mole of any substance.

3. The Mole Concept

Mole: The amount of substance that contains as many particles (atoms, molecules, ions) as there are atoms in exactly 12 g of carbon-12.

1 mole = 6.022 × 10²³ particles (Avogadro's number)

Gram Atomic Mass (GAM)

Definition: The atomic mass of an element expressed in grams.

1 GAM = 1 mole of atoms = 6.022 × 10²³ atoms

Example: GAM of Oxygen = 16 g (contains 6.022 × 10²³ O atoms)

Gram Molecular Mass (GMM)

Definition: The molecular mass of a compound expressed in grams.

1 GMM = 1 mole of molecules = 6.022 × 10²³ molecules

Example: GMM of H₂O = 18 g (contains 6.022 × 10²³ H₂O molecules)

4. Molar Volume

At STP (Standard Temperature & Pressure):

1 mole of any gas occupies 22.4 litres

STP conditions: 0°C (273 K) and 1 atm pressure

5. Key Formulas

Formula Description
$\text{Moles} = \frac{\text{Given Mass}}{\text{Molar Mass}}$ Calculate moles from mass
$\text{Moles} = \frac{\text{Number of particles}}{6.022 \times 10^{23}}$ Calculate moles from particles
$\text{Moles of gas} = \frac{\text{Volume at STP}}{22.4 \text{ L}}$ Calculate moles from gas volume
$\text{Vapour Density} = \frac{\text{Molecular Mass}}{2}$ Relation between VD and MM

Master Formula: Molecular Mass = 2 × Vapour Density

6. Atomicity

Element Formula Atomicity
Hydrogen H₂ 2 (Diatomic)
Oxygen O₂ 2 (Diatomic)
Nitrogen N₂ 2 (Diatomic)
Chlorine Cl₂ 2 (Diatomic)
Noble Gases He, Ne, Ar 1 (Monoatomic)
Ozone O₃ 3 (Triatomic)

7. Percentage Composition

$\text{% of element} = \frac{\text{Mass of element in 1 mole of compound}}{\text{Molar mass of compound}} \times 100$

Example: Find % of oxygen in H₂O.

Molar mass of H₂O = 2(1) + 16 = 18 g

Mass of O = 16 g

% of O = $\frac{16}{18} \times 100 = 88.89\%$

8. Empirical & Molecular Formula

Empirical Formula: Simplest whole number ratio of atoms in a compound.

Molecular Formula: Actual number of atoms of each element in a molecule.

Molecular Formula = n × Empirical Formula

where $n = \frac{\text{Molecular Mass}}{\text{Empirical Formula Mass}}$

Example: CH₂O (Empirical) → C₆H₁₂O₆ (Molecular for glucose)

Empirical mass = 12 + 2 + 16 = 30

Molecular mass = 180

n = 180/30 = 6

9. Stoichiometry Based Calculations

Steps for solving stoichiometry problems:

  1. Write the balanced chemical equation
  2. Identify the given and required quantities
  3. Convert given quantity to moles
  4. Use mole ratio from equation
  5. Convert moles to required unit (mass/volume/particles)

Example: Calculate the volume of CO₂ at STP when 10 g of CaCO₃ decomposes completely.

CaCO₃ → CaO + CO₂

Molar mass of CaCO₃ = 40 + 12 + 48 = 100 g

Moles of CaCO₃ = 10/100 = 0.1 mol

From equation: 1 mol CaCO₃ → 1 mol CO₂

∴ Moles of CO₂ = 0.1 mol

Volume at STP = 0.1 × 22.4 = 2.24 L

Quick Reference

Quantity 1 Mole =
Number of particles 6.022 × 10²³
Mass of element Gram Atomic Mass (g)
Mass of compound Gram Molecular Mass (g)
Volume of gas at STP 22.4 litres

Exam Practice (PYQ Trends)

PYQ: 2023

BOARD Calculate the number of molecules in 5.6 litres of CO₂ gas at STP.

PYQ: 2022

BOARD A compound contains 40% carbon, 6.67% hydrogen, and 53.33% oxygen. Its molecular mass is 180. Find empirical and molecular formula.