The atomic weight of a molecule is the average mass of its atoms, taking into account the natural abundance of isotopes. Glucose, a common sugar, has a chemical formula of C6H12O6. To calculate its atomic weight, we need to sum up the atomic weights of all the atoms in the molecule, multiplied by their respective stoichiometric coefficients.
The atomic weights used for the calculation are based on the average atomic masses of the elements as found in the periodic table. Here are the atomic weights of the atoms in glucose:
Carbon (C) - 12.01 atomic mass units (u) Hydrogen (H) - 1.008 u Oxygen (O) - 16.00 u
Now, we can calculate the atomic weight of glucose:
(6 * 12.01 u) + (12 * 1.008 u) + (6 * 16.00 u) = 72.06 u + 12.096 u + 96.00 u = 180.156 u
Therefore, the atomic weight of glucose is approximately 180.156 atomic mass units (u).