Question

In an experiment, a scientist prepared a 0.500 g sample of a salt made by neutralisation. Analysis of the sample gave the following data. Element Mass present / g, hydrogen- 0.025 oxygen- 0.300 ,nitrogen- 0.175 (i) Calculate the empirical formula of the salt. empirical formula = (ii) Suggest the formula of the acid and base that the scientist used to prepare this salt. acid: ……………………………………………………………………………… base: ………………………………………………………………………………

Answer 1

To determine the empirical formula of the salt, calculate the molar amounts of each element in the sample and find the whole-number ratio. The empirical formula of the salt is H2O3N2. The acid and base used to prepare the salt cannot be determined from the given data.

Step-by-step explanation:

To calculate the empirical formula of the salt, we need to determine the molar amounts of each element in the sample. Find the number of moles for each element by dividing the mass of the element by its molar mass. Then, find the whole-number ratio of the elements by dividing the moles of each element by the smallest number of moles calculated. Finally, write the empirical formula using the whole-number ratios as subscripts.

In this case, we have hydrogen with a mass of 0.025 g, oxygen with a mass of 0.300 g, and nitrogen with a mass of 0.175 g. The molar amounts of each element are: hydrogen = 0.025 g / 1.008 g/mol = 0.0248 mol, oxygen = 0.300 g / 16.00 g/mol = 0.0188 mol, and nitrogen = 0.175 g / 14.01 g/mol = 0.0125 mol.

The smallest number of moles is 0.0125 mol, so we divide the moles of each element by 0.0125 mol to get the whole-number ratio: hydrogen = 0.0248 mol / 0.0125 mol = 2, oxygen = 0.0188 mol / 0.0125 mol = 1.5, and nitrogen = 0.0125 mol / 0.0125 mol = 1.

Since we can't have a fraction in a chemical formula, we multiply all the subscripts by 2 to get the empirical formula of the salt: H2O3N2.

As for the acid and base used to prepare the salt, we can't determine that information from the given data.