A mole is a mole is a mole
English is such a weird language. Let’s start with that: English is weird. English is so weird that many quotes have accumulated on how silly it is. Here are just a few.
Yes, English can be weird. It can be understood through tough thorough thought, though.
David Burge
English grammar is so complex and confusing for the one very simple reason that its rules and terminology are based on Latin, a language with which it has precious little in common.
Bill Bryson
Our language is funny – a ‘fat chance’ and a ‘slim chance’ are the same thing.
J. Gustav White
The problem with defending the purity of the English language is that English is about as pure as a cribhouse whore. We don’t just borrow words; on occasion, English has pursued other languages down alleyways to beat them unconscious and rifle their pockets for new vocabulary.
James D. Nicoll
I’m going to blather on about one word: mole, which, of course, has multiple meanings in English.
A mole is…
6.022 x 10^23 particles.
A fury-burrowing mammal.
A machine used to dig—an extension of the burrowing animal.
A blemish on your skin.
A massive structure.
A spy.
Chemistry Mole:
The name mole is from the German word Molekül (molecule). It was used first by the chemist Wilhelm Ostwald in 1894.
The mole is the bane of Chemistry 101 students. In chemistry, reactions are the thing. What reacts with what, how much of one substance reacts with another, etc. If a chemist wants to combine two atoms into another molecule, they want to know how much is needed. An example, just for comprehension of the idea rather than reality. Say I want to combine Sodium, symbol Na, with Chlorine, Cl, to get salt. They combine in a 1:1 ratio, resulting in table salt NaCl. You would like just enough sodium and chloride to make it all into salt.
If cooking in the kitchen, you might mix 100 grams of sodium and 100 grams of chlorine, viola, and 200 grams of salt. However, the atoms of these elements have different masses:
Sodium, Na, atomic weight/mass = 22.9
Chlorine, Cl, atomic mass/weight = 35.4
If you had 1 gram of each you would have more sodium particles since sodium has s smaller atomic mass.
Cl, 1 gram = 1.76 plus 23 zeros particles. Typically written 1.76 x 10^23.
Na, 1 gram = 2.7 plus 23 zeros particles.
To make salt and use up all, or nearly all, of the sodium and chloride, you could measure the sodium and chlorine in moles. 1 mole of Na mixed with 1 mole of Cl would give you NaCl without any leftovers.
A mole of Na is about 22.9 grams.
A mole of Cl is about 35.4 grams.
It is not a coincidence that these numbers jive with the atomic weights of the atoms. That’s one reason why having a periodic table around is handy. Rounding a bit, if your mixed 23 grams of Na with 35 grams of chlorine, you would have table salt, with very few leftover atoms.
Phew; A few side notes:
A mole is also called Avogadro’s number, after Italian physicist Amedeo Avogadro (1776–1856).
A mole is defined based on carbon-12. That is the number of atoms in 12 grams of carbon.
The term mol is often used in chemistry; mol = moles/liter.
When chlorine becomes a charged, an ion, it is called Chloride. When sodium becomes charged, it is still called a sodium ion. WTF chemist :-/
Animal Mole:
Star-nosed moles are the only type of mole I have seen close up outside a zoo. Moles are burrowing mammals that root in the soil, finding worms, insect larvae, and other tasty morsels. Most moles are in the Talpa genus, but the star-nosed mole is in Condylura. They are the only living representative of this genus. Condylura cristata, the star-nosed mole, is only found in North America. For example, it prefers its soil wet at the edges of marshy habitat. These little furry mammals can smell underwater.
Side note: Besides being a genus of moles, TALPA, also refers to the FAAs performance assessment for pilots; Takeoff and Landing Performance Assessment (TALPA).
The word mole is probably from moldwarp (one who works in darkness), which means earth-thrower. It might also be from the root of mold, which means loose earth. Moldwarp is Middle English (1100 to about 1500), and mold is an earlier Old English word.
Moleskin, the padded material you put over blisters, is called that because of its dark brownish-gray color. Moles must have been more common back in the day.
Skin Blemish Mole:
In Old English, mal meant mark, spot, or blemish. This is the likely root for the skin blemish we call a mole. Moles are spots that form on skin due to clusters of melanin producing cells called melanocytes. We activate these cells by spending too much time at the beach in the sun. Our tanned skin is our body’s attempt to protect us from those evil Sun rays. Skin moles are usually not dangerous, though sometimes they can turn cancerous.
Freckles are similar to mole but moles can be raise, while freckles are flat. Moles come in brown, black, or pink, while freckles are brown.
Structure Mole:
This is from the French môle, meaning breakwater—Latin before that, meaning massive structure. It seems to designate structures that separate watery sections following the French usage rather than any massive structure following the Latin. , so the breakwater or pier of so kind.
This is also the source of the word demolish, De MOL ish. Take down the mole. That is the most exciting aspect of this blog, talk about saving the nest until last.
Spy Mole:
In the early 1600s, Sir Frances Bacon used the term when referring to the spies of King Henry VII. John Le Carré used the term much later in his book Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy. The Soviet spy hiding with the Circus, the term for the British Secret Service, was called a mole. If you can get through the beginnings of his books, Le Carré ends up weaving some great spy fare in his many novels. I have them all, ask to borrow one.
Lastly, our old buddy Willy Shakespeare, used the word mole, of course, he did. Hamlet calls the ghost of his father the old mole.
Hamlet: Well said, old mole! Canst work in the earth so fast? A worthy pioneer! Once more remove, good friends!
(Hamlet, Act 1 Scene 5).
Sources and Further Reading:
Any chemistry textbook. :-)
FAA. Takeoff and Landing Performance Assessment (TALPA)
https://www.faa.gov/about/initiatives/talpa
Le Carré, J. 1974. Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy. Hodder & Stoughton.
Mayo Clinic. Moles.
Shakespeare, WB. Hamlet. I’m not going to put a complete citation for this, the play can be found online here, https://www.shakespeare-online.com and in any number of used bookstores.
Sartore, Joel: If you don't know this famous photographer, check him out: here is his image of a star nosed mole.
https://www.joelsartore.com/a-star-nosed-mole-condylura-cristata-parva-from-ontario-canada-2/
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