Question

If a particular ore contains 55.4% calcium phosphate, what minimum mass of the ore must be processed to obtain 1.00kg of phosphorus?

Answer 1

To obtain 1.00kg of phosphorus, a minimum mass of 0.554kg of the ore must be processed.

Step-by-step explanation:

To determine the minimum mass of the ore that must be processed to obtain 1.00kg of phosphorus, we need to use the percentage composition of calcium phosphate in the ore. Since the ore contains 55.4% calcium phosphate, this means that 55.4% of the mass of the ore is calcium phosphate.

Therefore, the mass of calcium phosphate in the 1.00kg of phosphorus is (55.4/100) * 1.00kg = 0.554kg.

So, the minimum mass of the ore that must be processed to obtain 1.00kg of phosphorus is 0.554kg.

Answer 2

First, we require the formula of calcium phosphate. This is:
Ca₃(PO₄)₂

And its mass is 310 g/mol

The atomic mass of phosphorus is 31 g/mol, and as there are 2 moles of P per mole of calcium phosphate, the mass of P is 62 g/ mol calcium phosphate

Now, we calculate the percentage mass of phosphorus in calcium phosphate. This is:
62/310 * 100 = 20%

So, if we need 1 kg of P, we need:

1/20% = 5 kg of calcium phosphate. This means we need:

5 / 55.4% = 9.02 kg of ore


9.02 kg of ore is required.