Final answer:
When comparing 1 mol of ethanol, formic acid, and water, each contains 1 mol of oxygen atoms since a mole represents Avogadro's number of entities regardless of the compound. Thus, they all have the same number of moles of oxygen atoms. Correct option is b.
Step-by-step explanation:
When considering which contains the greatest number of moles of oxygen atoms: 1 mol of ethanol (C₂H₅OH), 1 mol of formic acid (HCO₂H), or 1 mol of water (H₂O), we need to look at the number of oxygen atoms present in each molecule of the compound. Ethanol has one oxygen atom, formic acid has two oxygen atoms, and water has one oxygen atom.
However, it's important to note that even though formic acid contains more oxygen atoms per molecule, when considering 1 mole of each compound, the number of oxygen atoms will be the same because a mole is a measure of count and represents Avogadro's number, 6.022 × 10²³ entities, of each substance.
Therefore, 1 mol of ethanol contains 1 mol of oxygen atoms, 1 mol of formic acid also contains 1 mol of oxygen atoms (each molecule has two oxygen, but we have half as many molecules), and 1 mol of water contains 1 mol of oxygen atoms.
As such, all three compounds have the same number of moles of oxygen atoms when considering 1 mole of each compound. This understanding is based on the concept of molar ratios that defines the mole as a unit that allows chemists to count atoms, molecules, ions, or other entities.