Mole Day
Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox holiday 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.,<ref name=ncw>Template:Citation</ref><ref>Template:Citation</ref><ref>Template:Citation</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> 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 Template:Val, defining the number of particles (atoms or molecules) in one mole (mol) of substance, one of the seven base SI units.
Overview
[edit]Mole Day originated from a celebration by educator Margaret Christoph.<ref name="Christoph">Template:Cite journal</ref> She wrote an article about her experiences in The Science Teacher in the 1980s.<ref name="mole-history">Template:Cite web</ref> 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.<ref name="mole-history"/>
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.<ref name="mole-history"/>
The American Chemical Society sponsors National Chemistry Week,<ref name=ncw/> which occurs from the Sunday through Saturday during which October 23 falls. This makes Mole Day an integral part of National Chemistry Week.Template:Cn