Final answer:
To determine the percent composition of the compound, calculate the masses of zinc and copper and divide them by the total mass of the compound. The compound is approximately 84.2% zinc and 15.8% copper.
Step-by-step explanation:
To determine the percent composition of the compound, we need to calculate the masses of zinc and copper in the compound, and then divide the mass of each element by the total mass of the compound, and multiply by 100.
Given that there are 3 parts zinc for every 16 parts copper by mass, we can set up the following equation:
3x = 16y
Where x is the mass of zinc and y is the mass of copper.
Given that there are 320 grams of copper in the compound, we can substitute y with 320 in the equation and solve for x.
Simplifying the equation, we have:
3x = 16 * 320
3x = 5120
x = 5120 / 3
x ≈ 1706.67 grams
The total mass of the compound is 1706.67 grams + 320 grams = 2026.67 grams.
Now, we can calculate the percent composition of zinc and copper.
Percent composition of zinc = (mass of zinc / total mass of compound) * 100
Percent composition of zinc = (1706.67 grams / 2026.67 grams) * 100 ≈ 84.2%
Percent composition of copper = (mass of copper / total mass of compound) * 100
Percent composition of copper = (320 grams / 2026.67 grams) * 100 ≈ 15.8%
Therefore, the compound is approximately 84.2% zinc and 15.8% copper.