Determining the Number of Moles of Carbon in Threonine

How can we determine the number of moles of carbon in 19.47 g of threonine?

Threonine is an amino acid with the formula C₄H₉NO₃. Let's find out the number of moles of carbon in the given mass.

Answer:

There are approximately 0.1632 moles of carbon in 19.47 g of threonine.

Threonine is an essential amino acid used in creating proteins in our bodies. To determine the number of moles of carbon in 19.47 g of threonine, we need to calculate the molar mass of threonine and then use it to find the number of moles of carbon present.

The molar mass of threonine (C₄H₉NO₃) can be calculated by adding the atomic masses of all the elements present:

Molar mass of threonine = (4 x atomic mass of carbon) + (9 x atomic mass of hydrogen) + (1 x atomic mass of nitrogen) + (3 x atomic mass of oxygen)
Molar mass of threonine = (4 x 12.01 g/mol) + (9 x 1.01 g/mol) + (1 x 14.01 g/mol) + (3 x 16.00 g/mol)
Molar mass of threonine = 119.12 g/mol

To find the number of moles of carbon in 19.47 g of threonine, we use the formula:

Moles of carbon = (Given mass) / (Molar mass)
Moles of carbon = (19.47 g) / (119.12 g/mol)
Moles of carbon ≈ 0.1632 mol

Therefore, there are approximately 0.1632 moles of carbon in 19.47 g of threonine. This calculation helps us understand the composition of threonine and its carbon content.