Mole Day
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mole Day is an unofficial holiday celebrated among chemists in North America on October 23, between 6:02 AM and 6:02 PM[1], making the date 6:02 10/23 in the American style of writing dates. The time and date are derived from the Avogadro constant, which is approximately 6.02×1023, defining the number of particles (atoms or molecules) in a mole, one of the seven base SI units.
Mole Day originated in an article in The Science Teacher in the early 1980s.[2] Inspired by this article, Maurice Oehler, now a retired high school chemistry teacher from Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, founded the National Mole Day Foundation (NMDF) on May 15, 1991.[2]
Many high schools around the United States, South Africa, Australia and in Canada celebrate Mole Day as a way to get their students interested in chemistry, with various activities often related to chemistry or moles. Since 2007 Mole Day has been celebrated in Smålandsstenar in Sweden.[citation needed]
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[edit] Alternate observances
- Some schools celebrate Mole Day on June 2 (6/02 in MM-DD format) and occasionally February 6 (06/02 in DD-MM format), rather than October 23 (10/23), presumably from 10:23 AM to 10:23 PM.
- Some schools celebrate "Mole Week" around October 23.[3]
- The American Chemical Society sponsors National Chemistry Week, which occurs from the Sunday through Saturday during October in which the 23rd falls. This makes Mole Day an integral part of National Chemistry Week.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ American Chemical Society. "Activities: NCW". http://www.chemistry.org/portal/a/c/s/1/acsdisplay.html?id=856d60a6e5ed11d6f72b6ed9fe800100. Retrieved 2007-07-10.
- ^ a b History of National Mole Day Foundation, Inc
- ^ For example, Central Michigan University. See: Melissa McGuire, Chemical club wins national recognition, Central Michigan Life, 27 September 2004. Accessed 2008-10-15.
