A sample of magnesium with a mass of 1.00 g is burned in oxygen to produce an oxide with a mass of 1.66 g. What is the empirical formula of the magnesium oxide produced? I know the answer is MgO. What are the steps to get that answer?
Convert grams to moles.
1.00 g Mg/ 24.3 = moles Mg
g Osygen = 1.66-1.00 = 0.66
moles oxygen = 0.66/16 = moles O.
Now find the ratio of the two in and round to whole numbers. You will find 1:1 ratio.
Well, buckle up because we're going on an empirical adventure!
To determine the empirical formula, we need to find the ratio between the elements in the compound.
Step 1: Find the moles of each element.
- For magnesium: You divide its mass by its molar mass. The molar mass of magnesium is 24.31 g/mol. So, 1.00 g / 24.31 g/mol = 0.041 moles of magnesium.
- For oxygen: Divide its mass by its molar mass. The molar mass of oxygen is 16.00 g/mol. So, 1.66 g / 16.00 g/mol = 0.1038 moles of oxygen.
Step 2: Divide the moles of each element by the smallest number of moles.
- In this case, the smallest number of moles is 0.041 (magnesium).
- So, divide 0.1038 moles of oxygen and 0.041 moles of magnesium by 0.041:
0.1038 moles of oxygen / 0.041 moles of magnesium = 2.53
0.041 moles of magnesium / 0.041 moles of magnesium = 1
Step 3: Round off the ratios to the nearest whole number.
- The ratio of oxygen to magnesium is approximately 2.5:1. Since we can't have fractions in empirical formulas, we round them off to the nearest whole number.
- So, the empirical formula of the magnesium oxide is MgO, where the ratio of magnesium to oxygen is 1:1.
Tada! You've got the empirical formula MgO! Just remember to give your magnesium some oxygen and watch the magic happen.
To determine the empirical formula of the magnesium oxide produced, you need to follow these steps:
Step 1: Determine the molar mass of each element.
The molar mass of magnesium (Mg) is 24.31 g/mol, and the molar mass of oxygen (O) is 16.00 g/mol.
Step 2: Convert the mass of each element to moles.
Divide the mass of each element by its molar mass:
For magnesium: 1.00 g / 24.31 g/mol = 0.041 moles
For oxygen: 1.66 g / 16.00 g/mol = 0.104 moles
Step 3: Determine the mole ratio between magnesium and oxygen.
Divide each mole value by the smaller mole value to obtain a whole number ratio:
0.041 moles / 0.041 moles = 1
0.104 moles / 0.041 moles ≈ 2.54
Step 4: Round the mole ratio to the nearest whole number.
Since we cannot have a fraction in the empirical formula, round the mole ratio to the nearest whole number. Therefore, 2.54 becomes 3.
Step 5: Write the empirical formula.
The empirical formula is MgO, where the subscript 3 indicates three oxygen atoms.
Therefore, the empirical formula of the magnesium oxide produced is MgO.
DrBob222 messed up at the oxygen, it should be O2 not O. so it would be:
Convert grams to moles.
1.00 g Mg/ 24.3 = 0.0411... moles Mg
g Oxygen = 1.66-1.00 = 0.66 g
moles oxygen = 0.66/32 = 0.0206... moles O.
Now find the ratio of the two in and round to whole numbers. You will find 2:1 ratio. (Mg2O)