Happy Mole Day

Happy Mole Day! I wish this meant we had one day to take a shotgun and have free rein over all those critters digging up our back yard. But one, we don't even have a shotgun and two, it means something far different.

According to moleday.org (yes, such a site exists):

What is Mole Day? Celebrated annually on October 23 from 6:02 a.m. to 6:02 p.m., Mole Day commemorates Avogadro's Number (6.02 x 10^23), which is a basic measuring unit in chemistry. Mole Day was created as a way to foster interest in chemistry. Schools throughout the United States and around the world celebrate Mole Day with various activities related to chemistry and/or moles.

For a given molecule, one mole is a mass (in grams) whose number is equal to the atomic mass of the molecule. For example, the water molecule has an atomic mass of 18, therefore one mole of water weighs 18 grams. An atom of neon has an atomic mass of 20, therefore one mole of neon weighs 20 grams. In general, one mole of any substance contains Avogadro's Number of molecules or atoms of that substance. This relationship was first discovered by Amadeo Avogadro (1776-1858) and he received credit for this after his death.

Why do I care? I actually wouldn't if my stepson, whose a senior this year taking some advanced chemistry class, hadn't stopped by. He and a friend had to make t-shirts to somehow illustrate Mole Day, and they wanted to borrow some markers.

Of course, Robyn the Super Crafter says, "Wait a few minutes. I bet I have some fabric paint." I frantically searched my craft room. I did not want to fail on this mission! I didn't find exactly what I wanted but the paints worked and Casey stopped by later to show us his work of art.

I was glad I could be of help but even happier that Casey stopped by to seek it. Now that he is 17 and drives and has a job, we don't see much of him. His visit was such a nice treat. It has put a smile on my face all day.

I guess I have Amadeo Avogadro to thank for that. Happy Mole Day.