1. Understand the Formula
* Na₂SO₄ represents sodium sulfate. The subscript "2" next to Na indicates that there are two sodium atoms in each molecule of sodium sulfate.
2. Use Avogadro's Number
* Avogadro's number tells us there are 6.022 x 10²³ particles (atoms, molecules, etc.) in one mole of a substance.
3. Set up the Calculation
* We need to find the number of sodium atoms in 0.250 moles of Na₂SO₄.
* We'll use the following steps:
* Moles of Na₂SO₄ -> Moles of Na: Since there are two sodium atoms per molecule of Na₂SO₄, multiply the moles of Na₂SO₄ by 2.
* Moles of Na -> Number of Na atoms: Use Avogadro's number to convert moles of Na to the number of atoms.
Calculation:
* Moles of Na: 0.250 moles Na₂SO₄ * (2 moles Na / 1 mole Na₂SO₄) = 0.500 moles Na
* Number of Na atoms: 0.500 moles Na * (6.022 x 10²³ atoms Na / 1 mole Na) = 3.011 x 10²³ atoms Na
Answer: There are approximately 3.011 x 10²³ atoms of sodium in 0.250 moles of Na₂SO₄.