A mole is an SI unit for measuring atoms and molecules and is named after its discoverer, Amedeo Avogadro
Every year on 23 October, Mole Day is marked and celebrated across the world by chemists, chemistry enthusiasts, and students learning chemistry. Uniquely, this day is celebrated from 6:02 am to 6:02 pm, hence forming the date 6:02 10/23 which denotes the Avogadro Number.
This year, Mole Day comes during the National Chemistry Week which is observed between 17 to 23 October.
What is the Avogadro Number?
This number is signified as 6.02×1023 to describe the number of particles present in a single mole of any substance. For the unversed, a mole is an SI unit for measuring atoms and molecules. It has been named after Amedeo Avogadro, who discovered it.
How is the day celebrated?
On this special day, several activities are organised especially in countries like the United States and Canada where most of the events are related to moles and chemistry in general.
History:
The Mole Day was created around the 1980s after an article appeared in The Science Teacher. As the article grabbed attention, a retired high school chemistry teacher, identified as Maurice Oehler from Wisconsin, USA, drew inspiration from it and founded the National Mole Day Foundation on 15 May, 1991.
This foundation was set up for students to increase their interest in Chemistry through various activities that are related to moles. Later in the year 1992, the National Mole Day Foundation was made into a not-for-profit company with a nine-member board of directors.
Significance:
The day is marked to make students who are interested in chemistry aware by directing various activities associated with moles. To celebrate this day, several activities and events related to moles and chemistry are organised across the globe. Moreover, it is a day actively celebrated and observed by high school students across South Africa, Canada, the United States, and Australia.
To make this day even more special and bigger, the American Chemical Society contributes funds to the National Chemistry Week, at least for a week.