The molar mass of paracetamol, C8H9NO2, is 151.165 g/mol. That single number is what connects a mass you can weigh to an amount of substance you can react: one mole is 151.165 g, and a gram of it is 3.984e+21 formula units. The calculator turns any weighed mass into that count, and reports the amount in moles, millimoles and the mass of a single formula unit alongside it.
The figure comes from the formula. Paracetamol is 8 × 12.011 (C) + 9 × 1.008 (H) + 14.007 (N) + 2 × 15.999 (O), which is 151.165 g/mol, taking standard atomic weights, and every page here computes that sum rather than quoting it. Carbon makes up the largest share of the mass: 8 of the 20 atoms in a formula unit are carbon, and they account for 96.088 g of the 151.165 g, or 63.56% by mass. The derivation table below breaks the whole molecule down element by element.
The numbers a bench actually uses sit at the millimole scale. One millimole of paracetamol is 151.165 mg and one micromole is 151.165 µg, so a balance reading to a milligram places you within 6.615 µmol. A single formula unit weighs 2.5102e-22 g, which is why the count in the gauge runs into the sextillions for any mass you can see.
Acetaminophen: 500 mg per standard tablet. The therapeutic and the hepatotoxic doses are closer together than for most drugs, hence the warnings. At 151.165 g/mol it is heavier than 13 of the 21 organic compounds covered here, and that ranking matters more than it looks: Tris base has a molar mass of 121.136 g/mol, so a gram of it contains 24.8% more formula units than a gram of paracetamol. Weigh by mass and you are not weighing equal amounts of substance.
Two practical things move the result. Purity below 100% means the weighed mass overstates how much compound you have — at 98% assay, 3.0233 g of every 151.165 g is not the compound — and any water picked up from the air does the same. Both are systematic, so they shift every solution made from that jar in the same direction.
The formula
m- The mass of paracetamol in grams
151.165- The molar mass of paracetamol in g/mol, derived from its formula
N- The number of formula units that mass contains
How it works, step by step
- Enter a mass of paracetamol in grams.
- It is divided by the molar mass, 151.165 g/mol, giving the amount in moles.
- That amount is multiplied by the Avogadro constant, 6.02214076 × 10²³ per mole, to give the number of formula units.
- The panel also reports the amount in moles and millimoles and the mass of one formula unit.
Worked examples
0.5 g of paracetamol as a molecule count
0.5 g divided by 151.165 g/mol is 0.00330764 mol, and multiplying by the Avogadro constant gives 1.992e+21 formula units of paracetamol. The same mass is 3.3076 mmol, which is the figure a reaction is actually planned in.
5 g of paracetamol as a molecule count
5 g divided by 151.165 g/mol is 0.0330764 mol, and multiplying by the Avogadro constant gives 1.992e+22 formula units of paracetamol. The same mass is 33.076 mmol, which is the figure a reaction is actually planned in.
50 g of paracetamol as a molecule count
50 g divided by 151.165 g/mol is 0.330764 mol, and multiplying by the Avogadro constant gives 1.992e+23 formula units of paracetamol. The same mass is 330.76 mmol, which is the figure a reaction is actually planned in.
How to read your score
Frequently asked questions
What is the molar mass of paracetamol (C8H9NO2)?
It is 151.165 g/mol. That is the sum of the standard atomic weights of every atom in the formula: 8 × 12.011 (C) + 9 × 1.008 (H) + 14.007 (N) + 2 × 15.999 (O). One mole of paracetamol therefore weighs 151.165 g, and a gram of it is 6.6153 mmol.
What percentage of paracetamol is carbon?
63.56% by mass. Each formula unit contains 8 carbon atoms contributing 96.088 g of the 151.165 g total, so 100 g of paracetamol contains 63.56 g of carbon and a kilogram contains 635.65 g of it.
How many molecules are in one gram of paracetamol?
About 3.984e+21. One gram is 0.00661529 mol, and each mole contains 6.02214076 × 10²³ formula units by definition of the mole, so the count is that constant divided by 151.165.
How much does a single molecule of paracetamol weigh?
2.5102e-22 g, which is 151.165 daltons. It is the molar mass divided by the Avogadro constant, and the number in daltons is numerically the same as the molar mass in g/mol — that equivalence is what makes the mole convenient.
Is molar mass the same as molecular weight?
They are the same number in ordinary use but not the same quantity. Molecular weight, properly relative molecular mass, is a ratio and has no unit: for paracetamol it is 151.165. Molar mass carries grams per mole: 151.165 g/mol. Because the mole is defined so those agree, you can read one off the other.
Why is the molar mass not a whole number?
Because standard atomic weights are averages over the isotopes found in nature. Carbon is quoted as 12.011 rather than a whole number for that reason, and the same applies to the other elements here, which is why paracetamol comes out at 151.165 g/mol rather than 151.
Molar mass, composition and mole equivalents of paracetamol
| Element | Atoms | Atomic weight | Contribution (g/mol) | By mass |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carbon (C) | 8 | 12.011 | 96.088 | 63.56% |
| Oxygen (O) | 2 | 15.999 | 31.998 | 21.17% |
| Nitrogen (N) | 1 | 14.007 | 14.007 | 9.266% |
| Hydrogen (H) | 9 | 1.008 | 9.072 | 6.001% |
| Total — one mole of paracetamol | 151.165 | 100% |
Standard atomic weights, IUPAC 2021. The contribution column is atoms × atomic weight, and the total is the molar mass this page uses: 151.165 g/mol.
| Amount | Mass (g) | Mass (mg) | Formula units |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 µmol | 0.000151165 | 0.151165 | 6.022e+17 |
| 10 µmol | 0.00151165 | 1.51165 | 6.022e+18 |
| 100 µmol | 0.0151165 | 15.1165 | 6.022e+19 |
| 1 mmol | 0.151165 | 151.165 | 6.022e+20 |
| 10 mmol | 1.51165 | 1511.65 | 6.022e+21 |
| 50 mmol | 7.55825 | 7558.25 | 3.011e+22 |
| 100 mmol | 15.1165 | 15,116.5 | 6.022e+22 |
| 250 mmol | 37.7912 | 37,791.2 | 1.506e+23 |
| 500 mmol | 75.5825 | 75,582.5 | 3.011e+23 |
| 750 mmol | 113.374 | 113,374 | 4.517e+23 |
| 1 mol | 151.165 | 151,165 | 6.022e+23 |
| 2 mol | 302.33 | 302,330 | 1.204e+24 |
| 5 mol | 755.825 | 755,825 | 3.011e+24 |
| 10 mol | 1511.65 | 1511650.000000 | 6.022e+24 |
Mass is the amount multiplied by 151.165 g/mol. The last column is that amount multiplied by the Avogadro constant, 6.02214076 × 10²³ per mole.
| Compound | Formula | Molar mass (g/mol) | Millimoles in 1 g |
|---|---|---|---|
| Creatinine | C4H7N3O | 113.12 | 8.8402 |
| Octane | C8H18 | 114.232 | 8.7541 |
| Tris base | C4H11NO3 | 121.136 | 8.2552 |
| Paracetamol (this page) | C8H9NO2 | 151.165 | 6.6153 |
| Uric acid | C5H4N4O3 | 168.112 | 5.9484 |
| Glucose | C6H12O6 | 180.156 | 5.5507 |
| Aspirin | C9H8O4 | 180.159 | 5.5507 |
Ordered by molar mass. The last column is 1000/M, which is the number a weighed gram actually gives you.