Final answer:
To calculate the molar mass of SO₂, you need to determine the atomic masses of each element in the compound and multiply them by the number of atoms of each element. The molar mass of SO₂ is 96.06 g/mol.
Step-by-step explanation:
In order to calculate the molar mass of a compound using its chemical formula, you need to determine the atomic masses of each element in the compound and then multiply them by the number of atoms of each element in the compound. Let's take the example of SO₂:
The molar mass of sulfur (S) is 32.06 g/mol, and the molar mass of oxygen (O) is 16.00 g/mol. SO₂ consists of one sulfur atom and two oxygen atoms.
Therefore, the molar mass of SO₂ is calculated as:
Molar mass = (atomic mass of S x number of S atoms) + (atomic mass of O x number of O atoms) = (32.06 g/mol x 1) + (16.00 g/mol x 2) = 64.06 g/mol + 32.00 g/mol = 96.06 g/mol