A 1.00 carat pure diamond has a mass of 0.20 grams. How many carbon atoms are there within this diamond?
A)6.0 × carbon atoms
B)2.0 × carbon atoms
C)1.0 × carbon atoms
D)6.0 × carbon atoms

Question

A 1.00 carat pure diamond has a mass of 0.20 grams. How many carbon atoms are there within this diamond?
A)6.0 × carbon atoms 
B)2.0 × carbon atoms 
C)1.0 × carbon atoms 
D)6.0 × carbon atoms

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The atomic mass of carbon is 12.01 g/mol. Therefore, the mass of one carbon atom is 12.01 g/mol divided by Avogadro's number (6.022 x 10^23 atoms/mol), which is approximately 1.99 x 10^-23 grams per carbon atom.
To find the number of carbon atoms in the diamond, we divide its mass (0.20 grams) by the mass of one carbon atom (1.99 x 10^-23 grams per carbon atom):
0.20 g / 1.99 x 10^-23 g per carbon atom = 1.01 x 10^22 carbon atoms 
However, since the diamond is a pure carbon crystal, every atom in it must be a carbon atom. Therefore, the number of carbon atoms in the diamond is 1.01 x 10^22 or 
1.0 × 10^22 carbon atoms.

A 100 Carat Pure Diamond Has a Mass of 0