Final answer:
The percent composition of tetracycline (C22H24N2O8) can be calculated by dividing the mass of each element in the compound by the total mass of the compound and multiplying by 100. The percent composition is approximately 59.41% carbon, 5.43% hydrogen, 8.95% nitrogen, and 25.21% oxygen.
Step-by-step explanation:
The percent composition of a compound can be calculated by dividing the mass of each element in the compound by the total mass of the compound and then multiplying by 100. To find the percent composition of tetracycline (C22H24N2O8), we need to calculate the molar masses of carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, and oxygen and then use those values to determine the percent composition.
The molar mass of carbon (C) is 12.01 g/mol, hydrogen (H) is 1.01 g/mol, nitrogen (N) is 14.01 g/mol, and oxygen (O) is 16.00 g/mol. To calculate the molar mass of tetracycline, we multiply the number of each element in the formula by its respective molar mass and add them together: (22 x 12.01) + (24 x 1.01) + (2 x 14.01) + (8 x 16.00) = 444.44 g/mol.
To find the percent composition of each element, we divide the molar mass of each element by the molar mass of the compound and multiply by 100. The percent composition of carbon in tetracycline is (22 x 12.01 / 444.44) x 100 = 59.41%. The percent composition of hydrogen is (24 x 1.01 / 444.44) x 100 = 5.43%. The percent composition of nitrogen is (2 x 14.01 / 444.44) x 100 = 8.95%. The percent composition of oxygen is (8 x 16.00 / 444.44) x 100 = 25.21%.