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I am currently studying to complete the Chemistry CLEP exam, I ran into this question and was thoroughly confused by the phrase

12.04x10^23 atoms of H_2

According to the question, this corresponds to 12.04X10^23 molecules (2 moles) of H_2, or 24.08x10^23 atoms (4 moles) of Hydrogen. The use of the word "atom" over "molecule" seems useless, confusing, and possibly wrong.

I'm not sure if this question is written poorly or if I have made a mistake in my grammar either way, any help is appreciated. Thank you!

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    $\begingroup$ No you cannot call them an atom, you are right to be confused. The most natural interpretation is a mistaken attempt to say x molecules of H2. $\endgroup$ – jezzo May 12 '20 at 21:22
  • $\begingroup$ There is no doubt that the statement should have been $\pu{12.04 \times 10^{23}}$ molecules of $\ce{H_2}$ given that the given answer is $\pu{(E) 44.8 L}$. // PS - Since 1983 a mole of gas at STP occupies 22.711 Liters. $\endgroup$ – MaxW May 12 '20 at 22:22
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    $\begingroup$ An online practice test which contained this question had more, um, questionable questions. E.g. asking which of Na, Zn, Hg, N, He "exists as a liquid in its elemental form". Well, they all do. The question fails to mention "STP". The singular "exists in its" is a giveaway, but we are taking a chemistry test, not linguistics. $\endgroup$ – Peter - Reinstate Monica May 13 '20 at 6:10
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The question is indeed poorly worded. What the question seems to be saying is that there are $12.04\times10^{23}$ molecules of hydrogen gas/dihydrogen ($\ce{H2}$).

I'm also noting that the correct answer ends with "... $\pu{44.8L}$ of $\ce{H2O}$ present", while there was absolutely no mention of $\ce{H2O}$. The question is quite misleading.

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    $\begingroup$ The question and answer are not just misleading, they are abysmally bad. ;-) $\endgroup$ – MaxW May 12 '20 at 22:25
  • $\begingroup$ It's badly proof-read, or probably not at all. Curious about the other questions. $\endgroup$ – Peter - Reinstate Monica May 13 '20 at 5:36
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    $\begingroup$ C'mon @Raphaël. You've been around long enough to know basic mhchem formatting! Please try to use $\LaTeX$ appropriately as much as possible. $\endgroup$ – William R. Ebenezer May 14 '20 at 16:45

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