Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
This question asks for the formula to calculate the total number of molecules in a given mass of a gas. This involves the concepts of moles, molar mass, and Avogadro's number.
Step 2: Key Formula or Approach:
1. Number of moles (n): The number of moles is the given mass (M) divided by the molar mass (\( M_o \)).
\[ n = \frac{M}{M_o} \]
2. Avogadro's Number (\( N_A \)): This is the number of molecules (or atoms, particles) in one mole of a substance. \( N_A \approx 6.022 \times 10^{23} \text{ mol}^{-1} \).
3. Total number of molecules (N): The total number of molecules is the number of moles multiplied by Avogadro's number.
\[ N = n \times N_A \]
Step 3: Detailed Explanation:
We can combine the two formulas from Step 2 to get a direct relationship between mass and the number of molecules.
Start with the formula for the total number of molecules:
\[ N = n \times N_A \]
Substitute the expression for the number of moles, \( n = \frac{M}{M_o} \):
\[ N = \left(\frac{M}{M_o}\right) \times N_A \]
This formula gives the total number of molecules (N) in a sample of mass M with molar mass \( M_o \).
Step 4: Final Answer:
The number of molecules contained in the gas of mass M is \( (\frac{M}{M_o})N_A \).