Mole Day

Mole Day is an unofficial holiday celebrated among chemists, chemistry students, and chemistry enthusiasts on October 23 between 6:02 a.m. and 6:02 p.m.,[1][2][3][4] making the date 6:02 10/23 in either MDY or YMD date formats. 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 one mole (mol) of substance, one of the seven base SI units.

Mole Day
Observed byChemists
TypeAcademic
SignificanceAvogadro constant
Begins6:02am on October 23
Ends6:02pm on October 23
DateOctober 23
Next time23 October 2024 (2024-10-23)
FrequencyAnnual

Overview

Mole Day originated from a celebration by educator Margaret Christoph.[5] She wrote an article about her experiences in The Science Teacher in the 1980s.[6] Inspired by this article, Maurice Oehler, a high school chemistry teacher from Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, founded the National Mole Day Foundation (NMDF) on May 15, 1991.[6]

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.[6]

The American Chemical Society sponsors National Chemistry Week,[1] 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
  • Square Root Day

References
  1. "National Chemistry Week Celebrates 20 Years", Chemical & Engineering News, vol. 85, no. 51, December 17, 2007, archived from the original on October 5, 2008, retrieved February 14, 2010
  2. This Week in Chemical History, American Chemical Society, archived from the original on July 24, 2011, retrieved February 14, 2010
  3. "Chemistry In The Spotlight", Chemical & Engineering News, vol. 88, no. 50, December 13, 2010, archived from the original on October 5, 2008, retrieved February 14, 2010
  4. "Chemical club wins national recognition". Central Michigan Life. September 27, 2004. Retrieved October 8, 2012.
  5. Christoph, Margaret (October 1985). "Mole day". The Science Teacher. 52 (7): 47–48. JSTOR 24145769. Archived from the original on October 24, 2022. Retrieved October 24, 2022.
  6. "History of National Mole Day Foundation, Inc". moleday.org. Archived from the original on October 23, 2010. Retrieved October 23, 2007.
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