Question

Which contains the greatest mass of oxygen: 0.75 mol of ethanol (C₂H₅OH), 0.60 mol of formic acid (HCO₂H), or 1.0 mol of water (H₂O)? Explain why.

a) Ethanol
b) Formic Acid
c) Water
d) They have the same mass of oxygen

Answer 1

Formic acid contains the greatest mass of oxygen among the given options, with 19.20 grams derived from 0.60 moles of formic acid each containing two oxygen atoms.

Step-by-step explanation:

To determine which compound contains the greatest mass of oxygen, we need to calculate the total mass of oxygen in each compound.

The molar mass of oxygen is 16.00 g/mol.

• For ethanol (C₂H₅OH), there is one oxygen atom per molecule. At 0.75 mol, the mass of oxygen is 0.75 mol × 16.00 g/mol = 12.00 g of oxygen.
• For formic acid (HCO₂H), there are two oxygen atoms per molecule. At 0.60 mol, the mass of oxygen is 0.60 mol × 2 × 16.00 g/mol = 19.20 g of oxygen.
• For water (H₂O), there is one oxygen atom per molecule. At 1 mol, the mass of oxygen is 1 mol × 16.00 g/mol = 16.00 g of oxygen.

Comparing these masses, we can see that formic acid contains the greatest mass of oxygen.