Final answer:
To find the mass of methanol and water in a 50.0-g solution with a methanol mole fraction of 0.270, we calculate using the molecular weight of methanol (32.04 g/mol) and the definition of mole fraction.
Step-by-step explanation:
In a 50.0-g aqueous solution of methanol (CH4O), if the mole fraction of methanol is 0.270, to find the mass of each component, we'll need to use the definition of mole fraction combined with the molecular weight of methanol.
Methanol has a molecular weight of approximately 32.04 g/mol. The mole fraction is the number of moles of methanol divided by the total number of moles in the solution. Since we know the total mass of the solution, we can find the mass of methanol (solute) and the mass of water (solvent).
To find the mass of methanol, we use the formula:
Mass of methanol = mole fraction of methanol * total mass of solution / (1 + [(molecular weight of methanol - 1) * mole fraction of methanol])
Plugging in the numbers:
Mass of methanol = 0.270 * 50.0 g / (1 + [(32.04 g/mol - 1) * 0.270])
With the mole fraction and molecular weights, we can calculate both components' masses accurately.