Dr. Stephen Lukacs (August 2020)
All chemical elements are composed of the three subatomic particles: neutrons, protons, and electrons. These three particles are in very specific locations and have very specific interactions with each other to makeup the atom or ion. Molecules are a specified collection of atoms or ions bound together to makeup even more complex chemical arrangements.
(August 2020) The subatomic particles are covered and their interplay to create the atom, which have a zero charge. Ions are the nonzero charged atom analog. The PodCast also covers basic calculations between mass (isotopes), protons, neutrons, charge, and electrons.
Remember: Atoms are zero charged elements, ions are nonzero charged elements, and isotopes have the same protons, so they are the same element, they just vary in the number of neutrons in the nucleus, so an isotope's mass varies also.
(September 2020) Weighing the mass of reactants or products based on the molecular formula is an important first step to knowing the amount of the substance in moles.
Be sure the carefully watch how the significant figures are calculated, using both the multiplication/division rule and then the addition/subtraction rule.
(September 2020) Moles are simply an amount of any substance. Moles are also the common ground and currency of reactants and products through balanced reactions and stoichiometry.
Now with a complete understanding of moles, you can safely move onto stoichiometry, the center of mass for chemical reactions.