Avogadro constant Avogadro constant In chemistry and physics, the Avogadro constant, named after scientist Amedeo Avogadro, is the number of constituent particles, usually atoms or molecules, that are contained in the amount of substance given by one mole. Thus, it is the proportionality factor that relates the molar mass of a substance to the mass of a sample. The Avogadro constant, often designated with the symbol "N" or "L", has the value in the International System of Units (SI). (The parentheses there represent the degree of uncertainty.) Previous definitions of chemical quantity involved the Avogadro number, a historical term closely related to
Arbitrary unit (such as "p.d.u./L"). Arbitrary unit In science and technology, an arbitrary unit (abbreviated arb. unit, "see below") or procedure defined unit (p.d.u.) is a relative unit of measurement to show the ratio of amount of substance, intensity, or other quantities, to a predetermined reference measurement. The reference measurement is typically defined by the local laboratories or dependent on individual measurement apparatus. It is therefore impossible to compare "1 arb. unit" by one measurer and "1000 arb. unit" by another measurer without detailed prior knowledge on how the respective "arbitrary units" were defined; thus, the unit is sometimes called an unknown