mol
UK[məʊl]US[moʊl]
n
The SI base unit of amount of substance, equal to the amount that contains as many elementary entities (e.g., atoms or molecules) as there are atoms in 0.012 kg of carbon-12.
Etymology
The term 'mol' is a 20th-century scientific creation, originating from the German word 'Mol', an abbreviation of 'Molekül' meaning "molecule." It was formally adopted into the International System of Units (SI) around 1971 to provide a precise unit for measuring the amount of a chemical substance. The logic of its creation was to establish a simple, standardized term directly linked to the concept of a molecular count, specifically defined by a fixed number of particles (Avogadro's number). Thus, it represents a modern, functional coinage rather than a word with a deep, layered etymological history from ancient languages.
Analysis
The word is a modern scientific coinage derived from the German 'Mol', itself a shortened form of 'Molekül' (molecule). It is not composed of classical morphemes in the English spelling.
Examples
One mol of water contains approximately 6.022 x 10^23 molecules.
The experiment required adding 0.5 mol of sodium chloride to the solution.
Avogadro's constant defines the number of particles in one mol of any substance.