Understanding the Basics
* Neutral: A neutral molecule has an equal number of protons (positive charge) and electrons (negative charge).
* Molecular Hydrogen (H₂): Each hydrogen molecule (H₂) contains two hydrogen atoms.
* Protons: Each hydrogen atom has one proton.
Calculations
1. Protons per molecule: Since each H₂ molecule has two hydrogen atoms, it has 2 protons.
2. Protons per mole: One mole of any substance contains Avogadro's number of particles (6.022 x 10²³). Therefore, one mole of H₂ contains 2 x (6.022 x 10²³) protons = 1.2044 x 10²⁴ protons.
3. Charge per proton: The charge of a single proton is +1.602 x 10⁻¹⁹ Coulombs.
4. Total positive charge: To find the total positive charge, multiply the number of protons by the charge per proton:
(1.2044 x 10²⁴ protons) x (+1.602 x 10⁻¹⁹ Coulombs/proton) = 1.930 x 10⁵ Coulombs
5. Convert to Megacoulombs: 1 Megacoulomb (MC) = 10⁶ Coulombs
Therefore, 1.930 x 10⁵ Coulombs = 0.1930 MC
Answer: There are 0.1930 megacoulombs of positive charge in 1 mole of neutral molecular hydrogen gas.
