Calculating the Cost of Sugar: A Mole to Mass Tutorial
Chemistry • April 2026

Calculating the Cost of Sugar:
A Mole to Mass Tutorial

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Written By Archive Editorial
Reading Time 5 Min Read

Understanding the Problem

In this problem, we are given the cost of one mole of sugar ($C_{12}H_{22}O_{11}$) and asked to find the cost of a 2 kg packet. To solve this, we must bridge the gap between chemical units (moles) and physical units (kilograms).

Step 1: Calculate the Molar Mass of Sugar

First, we need to find the mass of one mole of sucrose ($C_{12}H_{22}O_{11}$). We use the atomic masses of Carbon (C = 12), Hydrogen (H = 1), and Oxygen (O = 16).

  • C: $12 \times 12 = 144$
  • H: $22 \times 1 = 22$
  • O: $11 \times 16 = 176$

Total Molar Mass = $144 + 22 + 176 = 342 \text{ g/mol}$

Step 2: Convert Mass from Grams to Kilograms

Since the price is per mole, and we need to know the price for a specific weight, let's establish that 1 mole of sugar weighs 342 grams, which is equal to 0.342 kg.

Step 3: Determine the Number of Moles in 2 kg

We want to find out how many moles are present in a 2 kg packet of sugar. We use the formula: $\text{Number of moles} = \frac{\text{Given Mass}}{\text{Molar Mass}}$

$\text{Moles} = \frac{2000 \text{ g}}{342 \text{ g/mol}} \approx 5.848 \text{ moles}$

Step 4: Calculate the Total Cost

Now that we know the 2 kg packet contains approximately 5.848 moles of sugar, and we know the cost is Rs. 20 per mole:

$\text{Total Cost} = \text{Number of moles} \times \text{Price per mole}$ $\text{Total Cost} = 5.848 \times 20$ $\text{Total Cost} \approx 116.96$

Summary

A 2 kg packet of sugar would cost approximately Rs. 116.96.

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