Mole Day is an
unofficial holiday celebrated among chemists,
chemistry
Chemistry is the scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a physical science within the natural sciences that studies the chemical elements that make up matter and chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules a ...
students, and chemistry enthusiasts on October 23 between 6:02 a.m. and 6:02 p.m.,
making the date 6:02 10/23 in either
MDY or YMD date formats. The time and date are derived from the
Avogadro constant
The Avogadro constant, commonly denoted or , is an SI defining constant with an exact value of when expressed in reciprocal moles.
It defines the ratio of the number of constituent particles to the amount of substance in a sample, where th ...
, which is approximately , defining the number of particles (atoms or molecules) in one
mole
Mole (or Molé) may refer to:
Animals
* Mole (animal) or "true mole"
* Golden mole, southern African mammals
* Marsupial mole
Marsupial moles, the Notoryctidae family, are two species of highly specialized marsupial mammals that are found i ...
(mol) of
substance
Substance may refer to:
* Matter, anything that has mass and takes up space
Chemistry
* Chemical substance, a material with a definite chemical composition
* Drug, a chemical agent affecting an organism
Arts, entertainment, and media Music
* ' ...
, one of the seven base
SI units.
Overview
Mole Day originated from a celebration by educator Margaret Christoph.
She wrote an article about her experiences in ''
The Science Teacher'' in the 1980s.
Inspired by this article, Maurice Oehler, a high school chemistry teacher from
Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin
Prairie du Chien ( ) is a city in Crawford County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. The population was 5,506 at the 2020 census. Often called Wisconsin's second-oldest city, Prairie du Chien was established as a European settlemen ...
, founded the National Mole Day Foundation (NMDF) on May 15, 1991.
Many high schools around the United States, South Africa, Australia, and Canada celebrate Mole Day as a way to get their students interested in chemistry, with various activities often related to chemistry or moles.
The
American Chemical Society
The American Chemical Society (ACS) is a scientific society based in the United States that supports scientific inquiry in the field of chemistry. Founded in 1876 at New York University, the ACS currently has more than 155,000 members at all ...
sponsors
National Chemistry Week National Chemistry Week (NCW) is an annual event held in the United States to raise public awareness of the importance of chemistry in everyday life. It is coordinated by the American Chemical Society (ACS).
NCW is a community-based program that un ...
,
[ which occurs from the Sunday through Saturday during which October 23 falls. This makes Mole Day an integral part of National Chemistry Week.
]
See also
*Pi Day
Pi Day is an annual celebration of the mathematical constant (pi). Pi Day is observed on March 14 (the 3rd month) since 3, 1, and 4 are the first three significant figures of , and was first celebrated in the United States. It was founded i ...
* Square Root Day
References
External links
Maurice Oehler obituary
{{Science commemorative events
Chemistry events
Observances about science
October observances
Unofficial observances