How to Find the Mass of One Atom of Sodium (Na)

There are two steps to find the mass of the Sodium (Na) atom. First we find the atomic mass of Na from the Periodic Table. We then divide this by Avogadro's Number (6.02 x E23).

Note that this is the mass of an average atom of Sodium since the periodic table lists the average atomic mass for elements. If you were given a specific isotope of Sodium you would divide the mass number for the isotope by Avogadro's number.

You should check your answer to make sure it makes sense. Since atoms are very, very small you should get a very small number as your answer.

Note that this is the mass for a single atom of Sodium (Na). In reality electronic balances are not able to measure the mass of one single atom at a time due to their small size.

For help with molar mass and chemical quantities, the following videos may be helpful:

• More Moles to Grams Practice:    • Practice: Converting between Moles an...  
• Molar Mass in Three Easy Steps:    • How to Calculate Molar Mass (Molecula...  
• Understanding the Mole:    • Understanding the Mole (the basics)  
• Moles - Gram Conversions:    • Practice: Converting between Moles an...  
• How to Balance Chemical Equations:    • How to Balance Chemical Equations in ...  
• Mole Ratio:    • How to Find  the Mole Ratio to Solve ...  
• Reaction Stoichiometry:    • How to Solve Reaction Stoichiometry P...  

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