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Chapter 7: Problem 50

An oxide of phosphorus is 56.34\(\%\) phosphorus, and the rest is oxygen. Calculate the empirical formula for this compound.

Short Answer

Expert verified
The empirical formula of the phosphorus oxide compound is \( P_2O_3 \)

Step by step solution

01

Conversion of Percent Composition into Mass

Consider a 100 gram sample of this compound- this allows us to take the given percentages as absolute masses. Hence, there would be 56.34 grams of Phosphorus (P) and the rest, which is (100-56.34) = 43.66 grams of Oxygen (O).
02

Calculate Moles

Next, calculate the number of moles of each element present by dividing the assumed mass by the molar mass of each element. The molar mass of Phosphorus (P) is 30.97 g/mole and that of Oxygen (O) is 16.00 g/mole. Hence, the moles of P = 56.34 / 30.97 = 1.82 and the moles of O = 43.66 / 16.00 = 2.73.
03

Calculate Simplest Ratio

Now, express these moles as a ratio but as the formula needs to be in the form of whole numbers, divide each mole value by the smallest of the mole values calculated. Dividing by the smallest number of moles calculated (which is of P), we get P : O = 1 : 1.5. Multiply these numbers by 2 (to get whole number), we get P : O = 2 : 3.
04

Write the Empirical Formula

This ratio provides the subscript for each element in the empirical formula. Hence, the empirical formula for this compound is \( P_2O_3 \).

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Most popular questions from this chapter

A sample has \(7.51 \times 10^{24}\) molecules of benzene, \(\mathrm{C}_{6} \mathrm{H}_{6}\) . How many moles is this?

How many formula units are there in 302.48 g of zinc chloride, \(\mathrm{ZnCl}_{2} ?\) The molar mass of zinc chloride is 136.29 \(\mathrm{g} / \mathrm{mol} .\)

Use the following terms to create a concept map: atoms, average atomic mass, molecules, mole, percentage composition, and molar masses.

Calculate the average atomic mass of iron. Its composition is 5.90\(\%\) with a mass of 53.94 amu, 91.72\(\%\) with a mass of 55.93 amu, 2.10\(\%\) with a mass of 56.94 amu, and 0.280\(\%\) with a mass of 57.93 amu.

How many moles of compound are in each of the following samples: $$ \begin{array}{l}{\text { a. } 6.60 \mathrm{g}\left(\mathrm{NH}_{4}\right)_{2} \mathrm{SO}_{4} \text { ( molar mass of }} \\\ {\left(\mathrm{NH}_{4}\right)_{2} \mathrm{SO}_{4}=132.17 \mathrm{g} / \mathrm{mol} )} \\ {\text { b. } 4.5 \mathrm{kg} \text { of } \mathrm{Ca}(\mathrm{OH})_{2} \text { (molar mass of }} \\\ {\mathrm{Ca}(\mathrm{OH})_{2}=74.10 \mathrm{g} / \mathrm{mol} )}\end{array} $$
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