Question

The percent by mass of carbon in HC2H3O2 is equal to__.

Answer 1

The percent by mass of carbon in acetic acid (HC2H3O2) is calculated using the molar masses of its constituent elements. Upon calculation, it is determined that the percent by mass of carbon in acetic acid is 40.00%.

Step-by-step explanation:

To calculate the percent by mass of carbon in acetic acid (HC2H3O2), we need to use the molar masses of the elements involved. The formula for acetic acid includes two carbon atoms, four hydrogen atoms, and two oxygen atoms. Using the given molar masses (carbon: 12.01 g/mol, hydrogen: 1.008 g/mol, oxygen: 16.00 g/mol), the molar mass of acetic acid can be calculated as follows:

• Carbon: 2 × 12.01 g/mol = 24.02 g/mol
• Hydrogen: 4 × 1.008 g/mol = 4.032 g/mol
• Oxygen: 2 × 16.00 g/mol = 32.00 g/mol

Adding these together gives the molar mass of acetic acid as 60.052 g/mol.

To find the percent by mass of carbon, we take the total mass of carbon in the compound and divide it by the total molar mass of the compound:

(24.02 g/mol / 60.052 g/mol) × 100% = 40.00%

Therefore, the percent by mass of carbon in acetic acid is 40.00%.

Answer 2

The percent mass of carbon is found by dividing the total mass of the carbon in the compound by the total mass of the compound itself. The mass of the compound is found by adding the molecular masses of the elements. The mas of the compund is 60 grams/mole. There are two Carbon atoms in the compound and each Carbon atom weighs 12 grams/mole, so two Carbon atoms weigh 24 grams/mole. The percent by mass of Carbon is (24grams/mole) divided by (60 grams/mole) times 100 which is equal to 40%. The correct answer is 40%.