Answer:
The answer is 17.75%.
Step-by-step explanation:
We are given
(ammonia) as a chemical formula. We want to find the percent composition of the formula.
We are given the atomic masses of each element:
and
. Then, we need to find out how many atoms are present of each element in the compound.
N has one atom (no subscript present). H has three atoms (subscript of 3 is present).
Now, we simply multiply the masses of each element by the number of atoms present of that element.
![H = 1.008amu * 3atoms = 3.024amu](https://img.qammunity.org/2021/formulas/chemistry/high-school/rdshu3pr5jwp44s3i0917rifg3ehibvv5r.png)
![N = 14.01amu * 1 atom = 14.01 amu](https://img.qammunity.org/2021/formulas/chemistry/high-school/7tuqlwi42ynknbfdlaj3yjvlfrprwx0vus.png)
Then, we add up those products to get the mass of the formula.
![3.024amu + 14.01amu = 17.034amu](https://img.qammunity.org/2021/formulas/chemistry/high-school/l8dtp6h2f2cei5euykzgkptn6datyk985f.png)
Finally, we divide the masses of each element by the mass of the formula to get the percentages of each element present in the compounds.
For hydrogen:
![(3.024amu)/(17.034 amu) =0.1775](https://img.qammunity.org/2021/formulas/chemistry/high-school/iqg9bdseuwa6763evjqfd2nyj21rdo80lm.png)
![0.1775 * 100 = 17.75](https://img.qammunity.org/2021/formulas/chemistry/high-school/1gjtfwpnc5slbl5u7hr09oua0fkvffe86j.png)
Hydrogen atoms account for 17.75% of the compound.
For nitrogen:
![(14.01amu)/(17.034amu) = 0.8225](https://img.qammunity.org/2021/formulas/chemistry/high-school/1ob47qawklvz0854l581zfjnmd5euv6rlq.png)
![0.8225 * 100 = 82.25](https://img.qammunity.org/2021/formulas/chemistry/high-school/lx6ena7eq033d2ct8sflpkmqciynszv7sl.png)
Nitrogen atoms account for 82.25% of the compound.
For an extra step, add up the percentages to make sure you get within 100 ± 0.01. Otherwise, you may have rounded incorrectly or miscalculated somewhere within your work.
Hope this helps!