Final answer:
To determine the number of moles of oxygen atoms in 132.2 g of MgSO4, the molar mass of MgSO4 is calculated, and then the mass is divided by the molar mass to find the moles of MgSO4, which is then multiplied by 4 to find the moles of oxygen atoms. The closest whole number to the result is 4 moles.
Step-by-step explanation:
The student asked how many moles of oxygen atoms are in 132.2 g of MgSO4. To answer this, first we need to find out the molar mass of MgSO4 (magnesium sulfate). The molar mass of magnesium sulfate is calculated by adding the atomic masses of magnesium (Mg), sulfur (S), and four oxygen (O) atoms. The atomic mass of Mg is approximately 24.31 g/mol; for S, it is approximately 32.07 g/mol; and each O atom has an atomic mass of approximately 16.00 g/mol. Therefore, the molar mass of MgSO4 is:
Molar mass of MgSO4 = 24.31 g/mol (Mg) + 32.07 g/mol (S) + 4 × 16.00 g/mol (O) = 120.31 g/mol
Next, we use this molar mass to calculate the number of moles of MgSO4 in 132.2 g:
Moles of MgSO4 = mass (g) / molar mass (g/mol) = 132.2 g / 120.31 g/mol ≈ 1.099 moles
Since there are four oxygen atoms in each molecule of MgSO4, to find the number of moles of oxygen atoms, we multiply the moles of MgSO4 by 4:
Moles of oxygen atoms = 1.099 moles of MgSO4 × 4 oxygen atoms/molecule ≈ 4.396 moles
Since we are looking for the closest whole number of moles, we can see that 4.396 moles of oxygen atoms are closest to 4 moles. Hence, the correct answer is D) 4 moles.