The molecular mass of carbon is 12 atomic mass units (amu). This value is derived from the mass of a single carbon atom, which has 6 protons and 6 neutrons in its nucleus. The atomic mass unit is a standard unit of mass that quantifies the mass of atoms and molecules. Carbon’s molecular mass is crucial in chemistry as it helps in calculating the molecular masses of compounds that contain carbon. For example, in carbon dioxide (CO₂), the molecular mass is calculated by adding the molecular mass of one carbon atom (12 amu) to the molecular masses of two oxygen atoms (16 amu each), resulting in a total molecular mass of 44 amu for CO₂.
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