Final answer:
To determine the percentage of hydrogen in Ca(C2H3O2)2, calculate the molar mass of the compound and the mass of hydrogen, then divide the mass of hydrogen by the total molar mass and multiply by 100 to get approximately 2.55%.
Step-by-step explanation:
To calculate the percentage of hydrogen in Ca(C2H3O2)2, we first need to determine the molar mass of the compound and then the total mass of hydrogen contained within. The molar mass of Ca(C2H3O2)2 can be found by summing the atomic masses of each element in the chemical formula.
Calcium (Ca) has an atomic mass of approximately 40.08 g/mol, carbon (C) 12.01 g/mol, hydrogen (H) 1.008 g/mol, and oxygen (O) 16.00 g/mol. The formula has 4 hydrogen atoms, hence:
- The molar mass of H in the compound = 4 × 1.008 g/mol = 4.032 g/mol
- The molar mass of the entire compound = 1 (40.08 g/mol) + 4 (12.01 g/mol) + 4 (1.008 g/mol) + 8 (16.00 g/mol) = 158.096 g/mol
Now, we calculate the percentage by dividing the mass of hydrogen by the molar mass of the compound and then multiplying by 100%.
% H = (mass of H / molar mass of compound) × 100
% H = (4.032 g/mol / 158.096 g/mol) × 100 ≈ 2.55%
Therefore, the percentage of hydrogen in calcium acetate is approximately 2.55%.