How Many Gold Atoms are in a Gold Bracelet?

How many gold atoms are in a 0.434 ounce, 18 K gold bracelet? (18 K gold is 75% gold by mass.)

The number of gold atoms in 0.434 ounces, 18 K gold bracelet would be 2.82 x 10^21 atoms.

Answer:

The 0.434 ounces, 18 K gold bracelet contains 2.82 x 10^21 atoms of gold.

Reflecting on the number of gold atoms in a gold bracelet can be quite fascinating. The process of determining the number of atoms involves understanding the mass of the gold in the bracelet and converting it to the number of atoms using dimensional analysis.

In this case, the given data states that the 0.434 ounces, 18 K gold bracelet contains 2.82 x 10^21 atoms of gold. To arrive at this number, we first calculate the actual amount of gold in the bracelet.

Since 18 K gold is 75% gold by mass, we find that the bracelet contains 9.23 grams of gold. By converting this mass to moles and then to atoms using the Avogadro's number, we determine that the bracelet consists of 2.82 x 10^21 gold atoms.

This process of dimensional analysis not only helps us understand the composition of the gold bracelet but also provides insights into the vast number of atoms present in a seemingly small piece of jewelry.