Question

Two different compounds are formed by the elements nitrogen and oxygen. The first compound, compound P1, contains 64.17% by mass nitrogen and 35.73% by mass oxygen. The second compound, compound P2, contains 47.23% by mass nitrogen and 52.79% by mass oxygen. What is the ratio of nitrogen to a fixed mass of oxygen for the two compounds?

Answer 1

Step-by-step explanation:

To solve the problem, we must know the kind of compounds we are dealing with.

For the first compound, P1 and second compound P2:

N O N O

Mass percent 64.17 35.73 47.23 52.79

Atomic mass 14 16 14 16

Number of

moles 64.17/14 35.73/16 47.23/14 52.79/16

4.58 2.23 3.37 3.30

Simplest

ratio 4.58/2.23 2.23/2.23 3.37/3.30 3.3/3.3

2 1 1 1

P1 compound is N₂O

P2 compound is NO

These are the compounds,

In N₂O = 28:16

NO = 14:16

This is the ratio of nitrogen to a fixed mass of oxygen for the two compounds.