Final answer:
To find the mass of fluorine in 24.6 g of SnF₂, calculate the molar mass of SnF₂, find the percentage of F by mass, and then multiply by the total mass to get approximately 5.97 g of F.
Step-by-step explanation:
Tin(II) fluoride (SnF₂) is a compound commonly added to toothpaste to prevent tooth decay. To calculate the mass of fluorine (F) in grams in a 24.6 g sample of SnF₂, we first determine the molar mass of SnF₂, which is formed by the atomic mass of tin (Sn) plus twice the atomic mass of fluorine (F), since there are two fluorine atoms per molecule of SnF₂. The molar mass of Sn is approximately 118.71 g/mol, and the molar mass of F is approximately 19.00 g/mol, leading to the molar mass of SnF₂ being 118.71 g/mol + (2 × 19.00 g/mol) = 156.71 g/mol. To find the mass of F in the compound, we then calculate the percentage by mass of F in SnF₂, which is (2 × 19.00 g/mol) / 156.71 g/mol × 100% ≈ 24.247%. The mass of F in 24.6 g of SnF₂ is therefore 24.6 g × 24.247% ≈ 5.969 g, which we round to three significant digits as 5.97 g of F.