What is relative molecular mass (RMM) and why use carbon-12?

This is the mass of the atoms in your compound relative to the mass of one atom of Carbon-12 (previously they used Hydrogen-1 or oxygen-16, but these have many naturally occurring isotopes). C-12 is easily measured and has less isotopes than naturally occurring oxygen and hydrogen, so was decided on as the internationally used convention to avoid any miscalculations based on the country research was being conducted in.
It is calculated by the average mass of one molecule divided by 1/12 the mass of a carbon-12 atom

AP
Answered by Alexander P. Chemistry tutor

8528 Views

See similar Chemistry A Level tutors

Related Chemistry A Level answers

All answers ▸

How can a student test for the prescence of a halide ion?


Relationship between moles and Avogadro's constant


Explain the polarity of both CH3CH2Br and CBr3CBr3.


Describe a simple way to distinguish between aqueous solutions of potassium nitrate (KNO3) and potassium sulfate (K2SO4) using one test tube reaction


We're here to help

contact us iconContact ustelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo

MyTutor is part of the IXL family of brands:

© 2025 by IXL Learning