Final answer:
To determine the number of oxygen atoms in a sample of carbon dioxide (CO₂), divide the mass of the sample by the molar mass of CO₂ and multiply by 2. The sample has 2.364 oxygen atoms.
Step-by-step explanation:
The molecular formula of carbon dioxide is CO₂, which means it consists of 1 carbon atom and 2 oxygen atoms. To determine the number of oxygen atoms in a sample of CO₂, we need to know the number of moles of CO₂. Given that the sample has a mass of 52.0g, we can calculate the number of moles of CO₂ using its molar mass.
The molar mass of carbon dioxide (CO₂) is approximately 44.01g/mol. To calculate the number of moles of CO₂, we divide the mass of the sample (52.0g) by the molar mass (44.01g/mol).
Number of moles of CO₂ = Mass of sample / Molar mass of CO₂ = 52.0g / 44.01g/mol = 1.182 mol.
Since each molecule of CO₂ has 2 oxygen atoms, we can multiply the number of moles of CO₂ by 2 to find the number of oxygen atoms:
Number of oxygen atoms = Number of moles of CO₂ * 2 = 1.182 mol * 2 = 2.364.