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15.1% K; 10.5% Al; 24.8% S; 49.6% O, determine:

a) The chemical formula of the compound.
b) The molar mass of the compound.
c) The percentage composition of sulfur.
d) The empirical formula of the compound.

1 Answer

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Final answer:

a) The chemical formula of the compound is CH2O. b) The molar mass of the compound is 30.03 g/mol. c) The percentage composition of sulfur is 82.57%. d) The empirical formula of the compound is CH2O.

Step-by-step explanation:

a) The chemical formula of the compound:

To determine the chemical formula of the compound, we need to find the empirical formula. The empirical formula gives the simplest ratio of the elements in a compound. We can start by assuming we have 100g of the compound. This means we have 40.0g of carbon, 6.7g of hydrogen, and 53.3g of oxygen.

Next, we need to determine the moles of each element using their molar masses. The molar mass of carbon is 12.01 g/mol, hydrogen is 1.008 g/mol, and oxygen is 16.00 g/mol. So, the moles of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen are 40.0g/12.01g/mol = 3.33 mol, 6.7g/1.008g/mol = 6.63 mol, and 53.3g/16.00g/mol = 3.33 mol, respectively.

To find the simplest whole-number ratio of the elements, we divide the number of moles by the smallest number of moles, which is 3.33 mol. This gives us a ratio of approximately 1:2:1. Therefore, the empirical formula of the compound is CH2O.

b) The molar mass of the compound:

The molar mass is the sum of the atomic masses of all the atoms in a molecule. To calculate the molar mass of CH2O, we add up the atomic masses of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. The atomic mass of carbon is 12.01 g/mol, hydrogen is 1.008 g/mol, and oxygen is 16.00 g/mol. Therefore, the molar mass of CH2O is 12.01 g/mol + 2(1.008 g/mol) + 16.00 g/mol = 30.03 g/mol.

c) The percentage composition of sulfur:

The percentage composition of an element in a compound is calculated by dividing the mass of that element by the molar mass of the compound and multiplying by 100. In this compound, the mass of sulfur is 24.8g and the molar mass of the compound is 30.03 g/mol. Therefore, the percentage composition of sulfur is (24.8g/30.03g/mol) x 100 = 82.57%.

d) The empirical formula of the compound:

The empirical formula is already determined as CH2O.

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