Happy Mole Day this Friday!

Happy Mole Day! (10/23)

What do you mean, you don't know what Mole Day is?!?! Don't worry. Until 2 days ago, I had no idea what it was either.

What is a Mole? Thanks to http://www.chemistry.co.nz/mole.htm, a Mole is:

the amount of pure substance containing the same number of chemical units as
there are atoms in exactly 12 grams of carbon-12 (i.e., 6.023 X 10 to the 23rd Power [I can't get the superscript to work on this post]). This involves the acceptance of two dictates -- the scale of atomic masses and the magnitude of the gram. Both have been established by international agreement. Formerly, the connotation of "mole" was "gram molecular weight." Current usage tends to apply the term "mole" to an amount containing Avogadro's number of whatever units are being considered. Thus, it is possible to have a mole of atoms, ions, radicals, electrons, or quanta. This usage makes unnecessary such terms as "gram-atom," "gram-formula weight," etc.

Since it is 10 to the 23rd power, 10^ 23, chemistry students celebrate "Mole Day" on October 23rd.


Jake asked if I could help him make a "Mole" cake for class on Thursday (as on Friday the 23rd, schools in our county are closed). Sure, why not. Sounds like a hoot!



Jake colors the gum paste grey.


The mole gets put on top of the hill.




Jake rolls out the leaves in the background while I cover the mole's opening with "dirt." (crushed Oreo's)







Jake works on piping some numbers in the cake and adds the leaves he cut to it as well.



Ta Da!!


Happy Mole Day!