Final answer:
To find out how many molecules of water are attached to each atom of Magnesium in the hydrated Magnesium Sulfate, we can calculate the number of moles of water lost during heating. From there, we can use the mole ratio in the formula of the hydrated salt to determine the number of water molecules attached to each atom of Magnesium.
Step-by-step explanation:
To determine how many molecules of water are attached to each atom of Magnesium, we need to calculate the ratio of the mass of water to the mass of the anhydrous Magnesium Sulfate.
From the given information, the mass of the hydrated Magnesium Sulfate is 1.000 grams and the mass of the anhydrous Magnesium Sulfate is 0.488 grams. Therefore, the mass of water lost during heating is 1.000 grams - 0.488 grams = 0.512 grams.
To convert grams of water to molecules, we can use Avogadro's number. The molar mass of water is 18.015 g/mol. So, the number of moles of water lost is 0.512 grams / 18.015 g/mol = 0.0284 moles.
Next, we can calculate the number of molecules of water using the mole ratio between water and Magnesium Sulfate in the formula of the hydrated salt. The formula is MgSO4 * XH20, where X represents the number of water molecules. Assuming the formula is MgSO4 * 7H20, the mole ratio is 1:7. Therefore, the number of water molecules attached to each atom of Magnesium is 0.0284 moles * 7 = 0.199 moles. Now, we multiply this by Avogadro's number to get the number of molecules, which is 0.199 moles * 6.022 x 10^23 molecules/mol = 1.20 x 10^23 molecules of water.