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KCl Molar Mass (Potassium Chloride): Step-by-Step Calculation

What is the KCl molar mass, and how is it calculated from the atomic masses of potassium (K) and chlorine (Cl) in general chemistry?

Subject: General Chemistry Chapter: Chemical Compounds Topic: Molecular Mass and Formula Mass Answer included
kcl molar mass molar mass of KCl potassium chloride molar mass formula mass KCl molecular mass KCl atomic mass potassium atomic mass chlorine grams to moles KCl
Accepted answer Answer included

The kcl molar mass is the mass of one mole of potassium chloride formula units. It is obtained by summing the atomic masses of K and Cl from the periodic table.

Result: \(M(\mathrm{KCl}) \approx 74.55\ \text{g/mol}\).

Step 1: Identify the formula and count atoms

Potassium chloride has formula \(\mathrm{KCl}\), which contains:

  • \(1\) potassium atom (\(\mathrm{K}\))
  • \(1\) chlorine atom (\(\mathrm{Cl}\))

Step 2: Read atomic masses from the periodic table

Using common periodic table values (rounded to two decimal places):

  • \(M(\mathrm{K}) \approx 39.10\ \text{g/mol}\)
  • \(M(\mathrm{Cl}) \approx 35.45\ \text{g/mol}\)

Step 3: Add contributions to get the KCl molar mass

\[ M(\mathrm{KCl}) = 1\cdot M(\mathrm{K}) + 1\cdot M(\mathrm{Cl}) \]

\[ M(\mathrm{KCl}) = 39.10 + 35.45 = 74.55\ \text{g/mol} \]

Element Count in \(\mathrm{KCl}\) Atomic mass (g/mol) Contribution (g/mol)
\(\mathrm{K}\) \(1\) \(39.10\) \(1 \cdot 39.10 = 39.10\)
\(\mathrm{Cl}\) \(1\) \(35.45\) \(1 \cdot 35.45 = 35.45\)
Total \(74.55\ \text{g/mol}\)
KCl molar mass contributions from potassium and chlorine A clearer KCl molar mass diagram showing one potassium atom and one chlorine atom forming KCl, alongside a proportional stacked bar with the contributions 39.10 grams per mole for potassium and 35.45 grams per mole for chlorine, for a total of 74.55 grams per mole. Mass contributions to the molar mass of KCl One K atom and one Cl atom contribute in a 1:1 ratio to form potassium chloride. 19 K Potassium 39.10 g/mol 17 Cl Chlorine 35.45 g/mol + formula unit KCl total = 74.55 g/mol Proportional contribution bar K 39.10 g/mol Cl 35.45 g/mol 52.46% 47.54% 0 39.10 74.55 g/mol KCl molar mass = mass of K + mass of Cl
The stacked bar shows that the KCl molar mass is the sum of two parts: the potassium contribution (\(39.10\ \text{g/mol}\)) and the chlorine contribution (\(35.45\ \text{g/mol}\)).

Extra check: mass percent composition (optional but useful)

Percent by mass for each element in \(\mathrm{KCl}\) follows directly from the molar mass:

\[ \%\mathrm{K} = \frac{39.10}{74.55}\cdot 100 \approx 52.46\%, \qquad \%\mathrm{Cl} = \frac{35.45}{74.55}\cdot 100 \approx 47.54\% \]

Using the molar mass for conversions

Once \(M(\mathrm{KCl})\) is known, mass–mole conversions use:

\[ m = n \cdot M \quad \text{and} \quad n = \frac{m}{M} \]

Example: The mass of \(0.250\ \text{mol}\) KCl is

\[ m = 0.250 \cdot 74.55 = 18.64\ \text{g} \]

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