I have an oxide material with an unknow metal. I know that the moles of the oxygen and the metal are 0.09 When I calculate the atomic weight my professors says I should get number in the 50's and 60's I don't. I get 16, which is oxygen. How do I figure out the atomic weight?
If you had posted the problem we might be able to help; however, I don't know what numbers you have available. If you have the mass of the metal, then moles = grams/molar mass and you can solve for molar mass.
To calculate the atomic weight of the unknown metal present in the oxide material, you need to consider the following steps:
Step 1: Determine the moles of the oxygen (O) and metal in the oxide material. In this case, you mention that the moles of oxygen and metal are both 0.09.
Step 2: Find the atomic weight of the oxygen (O). The atomic weight of oxygen is approximately 16 g/mol.
Step 3: Calculate the atomic weight of the metal using the provided information.
- Let's assume the atomic weight of the metal is "x" g/mol.
- The molecular formula of the oxide can be represented as MO, where M is the symbol for the metal.
- Since the moles of oxygen and metal are equal in the oxide (0.09 moles each), the ratio of moles of oxygen to the metal is 1:1.
- This means that the mass of oxygen in grams is equal to the atomic weight of oxygen (16 g/mol) multiplied by the moles of oxygen (0.09 moles), which is 16 * 0.09 = 1.44 grams.
- Similarly, the mass of the unknown metal in grams is equal to the atomic weight of the metal (x g/mol) multiplied by the moles of metal (0.09 moles), which is x * 0.09 grams.
Step 4: Now, since the mass of oxygen and the mass of the metal are in a 1:1 ratio, you can set up an equation:
Mass of oxygen (1.44 g) = Mass of metal (x * 0.09 g)
Step 5: Solve the equation for x:
1.44 g = x * 0.09 g
x = 1.44 g / 0.09 g
x ≈ 16
Hence, based on the calculations, the atomic weight of the unknown metal is approximately 16 g/mol, which matches the atomic weight of oxygen. It seems there might be an error in your calculations or data.