The molar mass of cholesterol is approximately 386.65 g/mol.
Cholesterol is a type of lipid and a sterol, which means it has a complex chemical structure that includes multiple carbon rings, a hydroxyl group, and a hydrocarbon tail. To arrive at the molar mass, you can sum the atomic masses of all the atoms in a cholesterol molecule. A typical cholesterol molecule consists of 27 carbon (C) atoms, 46 hydrogen (H) atoms, and 1 oxygen (O) atom. By calculating the total mass contributions from each type of atom:
– Carbon (C): 27 atoms × 12.01 g/mol = 324.27 g/mol
– Hydrogen (H): 46 atoms × 1.008 g/mol = 46.368 g/mol
– Oxygen (O): 1 atom × 16.00 g/mol = 16.00 g/mol
Adding these together gives: 324.27 + 46.368 + 16.00 = 386.638 g/mol. Rounded to two decimal places, this is 386.65 g/mol.