Final answer:
The weight of sodium present in 50.0 g of Na₂SO₄ is calculated by first determining the moles of Na₂SO₄, then moles of sodium, and finally converting these to grams. The result is 16.192 g of sodium.
Step-by-step explanation:
To calculate the weight of sodium present in 50.0 g of Na₂SO₄, we will first need to know the molar mass of Na₂SO₄ and the molar mass of sodium (Na). The molar mass of Na₂SO₄ is approximately 142.04 g/mol (23.00 g/mol for Na × 2 + 32.07 g/mol for S + 16.00 g/mol for O × 4), and the molar mass of sodium is approximately 23.00 g/mol.
First, we'll determine how many moles of Na₂SO₄ are present in 50.0 g:
Moles of Na₂SO₄ = mass (g) / molar mass (g/mol) = 50.0 g / 142.04 g/mol
Now, convert grams of Na₂SO₄ to moles:
Moles of Na₂SO₄ = 50.0 g / 142.04 g/mol = 0.352 moles of Na₂SO₄
Since there are two moles of sodium in each mole of Na₂SO₄, we calculate the moles of sodium present:
Moles of Na = moles of Na₂SO₄ × 2 = 0.352 moles × 2 = 0.704 moles of Na
Finally, we convert moles of sodium to grams:
Mass of Na = moles of Na × molar mass of Na = 0.704 moles × 23.00 g/mol = 16.192 g of Na
Therefore, the weight of sodium present in 50.0 g of Na₂SO₄ is 16.192 g.