The Mole and Amount of Substance in Chemistry and Education: Beyond Official Definitions

Abstract

The definition of the mole in the current SI and the draft definition for the “new SI” are reviewed. Current textbook treatments of the mole are compared to these official definitions. For historical perspective, the treatment of the mole and amount of substance in textbooks before and after those quantities were introduced into the SI in 1971 is reviewed. Textbook definitions have not always matched the official definitions, but they reflect the common usage of chemists. Textbook definitions will likely resemble the official definition more closely if the new SI is adopted, because the draft definition is closer than the current official definition to what is found in many textbooks. The SI base quantity amount of substance, however, will likely continue to pose problems for chemistry educators and to be widely ignored by practitioners of chemistry if it is retained. Official definitions and expert usage of some terms related to the mole (particularly amount of substance ) do not always coincide.

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