National Chemistry Week - Happy Mole Day!

Friday October 23, 2009

Avogadro's number is the number of particles in a mole of a substance. Mole Day is an unofficial chemistry holiday celebrated on a date that relates to Avogadro's number, which is approximately 6.02 x 10²³. In the US this is usually October 23rd between 6:02 am and 6:02 pm. (6:02 10/23). The dates for National Chemistry Week actually are chosen so that Mole Day falls within Mole Week. Alternate observance dates for Mole Day are June 2 (6/02 in MM-DD format) and February 6 (6/02 in DD-MM format) from 10:23 AM to 10:23 PM.

Whenever you choose to celebrate it, Mole Day is a great day to think about chemistry in general and the mole in particular. Here are some Mole Day activities for you:

• Determine how much aluminum foil you would need to make a 0.5 mole aluminum sculpture. Weigh out the foil and get creative.

• Write your own mole joke. Examples of mole jokes include:

  Where did Avogadro stay on is vacation? A mole-tel.
  What do chemists wear when it's cold? Ther-mole underwear.

• Make up a song about the mole. You should get bonus points if you make a video and upload it to YouTube.

• Determine how much water is in one mole of water. Can you drink that amount?

Feel free to post ideas for other ways to celebrate Mole Day. Have a great holiday!