•The mass of an atom is unbelievably small (e.g. a C atom weighs 1.99 x 10-23 g)
•So kg
and g are out!
•We need
a new unit small enough to
deal with these tiny guys reasonably
•Chemists use the atomic mass unit (amu)
•1 amu =
1.66 X 10-24 g
•atoms
will weigh so many amu’s
•now back to atoms and
counting by weighing…