Key Difference Formula Mass vs Molar Mass

Formula mass and molar mass are two physical properties of molecules that show
some difference between them. Both of these parameters, the formula mass and molar
mass, are related to the weight of chemical elements (atoms, molecules, unit cells).
Sinceatoms, molecules, and unit cells are extremely small particles; the mass of one
particle is negligibly small. Therefore, the mass of 1mol (mass of 6.02 * 10 23 particles in
grams) is used as the unit in quantitative analysis. Different chemical elements have
different molar mass values (C -12.01 g mol-1, Mg-24.3050 g mol-1) since they have a
different number of positions in the nucleus. Similarly, this leads to having various
unique molar mass values for chemical compounds (NaCl58.4426 g mol-1). Formula
mass is calculated considering the empirical formula of a compound. It is the sum of the
atomic mass values of individual components in the empirical formula (H2O-18.00 g mol1
). The key difference between formula mass and molar mass is that, the formula
mass of a molecule or a compound is the sum of the atomic weights of the atoms
in its empirical formula while molar mass is the mass in grams of 1 mol of
substance.

What is Formula Mass?

The formula mass of a molecule or a compound is the sum of the atomic weights of the
atoms in the empirical formula. The units of formula mass atomic mass unit (amu).

Formula Mass Calculation

Example 1:
What is the formula mass of NaCl (Atomic mass of Na = 22.9898 amu, Atomic mass of
Cl = 35.4527amu)?
Formula mass of NaCl

= Na + Cl
= 22.9898 amu + 35.4527 amu
= 58.4425 amu

Example 2:
What is the formula mass of C2H5OH (C = 12.011 amu, H = 1.00794 amu, O
15.9994 amu)?

Formula mass of C2H5OH

= 2C + 6H + O
= 2(12.011 amu) + 6 (1.00794 amu) + (15.9994

amu)
= 46 amu

What is Molar Mass?

Molar mass is defined as the mass of 1mol of substance. It has the units of g/mol or
kg/mol. Every chemical element or chemical compound has a unique value for molar
mass.
Molar mass = Mass of one particle * (N A
Avogadros constant)
NA = 6.022 * 1023mol-1

Molar Mass of Elements

Different elements have a unique molar mass value because they contain different
numbers of electrons, protons, and neutrons. For example,
Molar mass of Carbon is 12.01 g mol-1.
Molar mass of Magnesium is 24.3050 g mol-1.

Molar Mass of Molecules and Compounds

The molar mass of water (H2O) is 18.00 g mol-1
The molar mass of Mg(OH)2 is 58.3197 g mol-1
1 mol of

Number of particles

Molar mass

C (element)

6.022 * 1023 atoms

12.011 g mol-1

Cu (element)

6.022 * 1023 atoms

63.546 g mol-1

Fe2O3 (ionic compound)

6.022 * 1023 unit cells

159.70 g mol-1

Al(OH)3 (ionic compound)

6.022 * 1023 unit cells

78.00 g mol-1

CF4 (covalent compound)

6.022 * 1023 molecules

88.01 g mol-1

N2O5 (covalent compound)

6.022 * 1023 molecules

108.011 g mol-1

SiO2 (covalent compound)

6.022 * 1023 molecules

60.09 g mol-1

What is the difference between Formula Mass and Molar

Mass?
Definition of Formula Mass and Molar Mass
Formula Mass: The formula mass (formula weight) of a molecule is the sum of the
atomic weights of the atoms in its empirical formula.
Molar Mass: Molar mass is the mass in grams of 1 mol of substance (The number of
particles in a mole is equal to 6.022 * 10 23).

Use
Formula mass: Formula mass is calculated for chemical compounds. It is calculated
using the empirical formula.
Molar mass: Molar mass is calculated for chemical substances that contain many
elementary entities such as chemical elements, ionic and covalent chemical
compounds.

Basis of Calculation
Formula mass: Different chemical elements in the chemical compounds give different
formula masses.
Molar masses: Different atomic masses lead to differences in molar masses. The
atomic mass of an element (in atomic mass units amu) is equal to its molar mass
Example: Consider NH4NO3
Formula mass (NH4NO3)

= (14.01 amu * 2)
amu * 3)
= 80.05 amu
Molar mass (NH4NO3) : 80.05 g mol-1

H
+

(1.008 amu *4) + (16.00

Answer:

For ionic compounds term formula mass is used, while for

molecular compounds termmolecular mass is used.
Explanation:

Sum of atomic masses of all the atoms as present in empirical or simple

formula of a compound is called formula mass. As e.g. NaCl, 23 + 35.5 =
58.5 amu.
Similarly sum of atomic masses of all the atoms as present in the molecular
formula of that compound is called molecular mass. As e.g. H2O, is 1 x 2 +
16 = 18 amu.

Molecular mass is for molecules, formula mass is for ionic compounds. Molecular mass and formula mass
mean pretty much the same thing. The only reason we use two different terms is because molecules are
covalent compounds meaning they have only non-metals so then an ionic compounds cannot be a
molecule and therefore it wouldn't make sense to find the molecular mass for an ionic compound so we
just call it the "formula mass" when we're talking about ionic compounds.
Here's what you need to know:
Molecular mass: For covalent compounds, compounds that contain ONLY non-metals such as CO2.
Formula mass: For ionic compound, compounds that contain metals and non-metals such as Na2CO3.
Metals are on the left of the periodic table and non-metals are on the right of the periodic table.

Best Answer: Really, they are basically the same thing. Molecular mass is the mass of a molecule, while
Formula Mass is the mass of ionic compound. It's really a terminology issue but they are both calculated
the same way.
In the above, sand (SiO2 or silicon dioxide) is formed by covalent bonds and thus is a molecule. And
since it is a molecule, you would be finding its Molecular Mass.
On the other hand, Na2CO3 (Sodium Carbonate) has an ionic bond and is an ionic compound. NOT A
MOLECULE. So, you would be finding it's Formula Mass.
And I assuming you know how to find the masses, so I won't touch on that.