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The mass of 0.3253 mol of a compound with the formula mbr4, in which m is a metallic element, is 171.4 g. what is the identity of the metal

User Fabiobh
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Lead (Pb) Let's figure out how many moles of the unknown element there is and what it's atomic weight is. We have 0.3253 mol of mBr4 which has a mass of 171.4 g. Since there's 4 bromine atoms per molecule, that means we have 4 * 0.3253 = 1.3012 moles of bromine. The atomic weight of bromine is 79.904, so 1.3012 mol * 79.904 g/mol = 103.9711 g So now subtract the known mass of bromine from the mass of the unknown substance. 171.4g - 103.9711g = 67.42892 g Now divide that by the number of moles we have of that metal to determine its atomic weight 67.42892 g / 0.3253 mol = 207.2822 g/mol Now look at the periodic table to see if there's any metals with an atomic weight close to 207.2822 g/mol The closest match is for Lead (Pb) with an atomic weight of 207.2. Additionally, it's in the same column as Carbon so Lead has 4 valance electrons. And Bromine wants to grab one electron so you'd expect lead to combine with 4 bromine atoms. Which this compound does. So the evidence indicates that the unknown metal is Lead.
User Jordan
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