Vanadium oxide is used as an industrial catalyst. The percent composition of this oxide is 56.0% vanadium and 44.0% oxygen. Determine the empirical formula for vanadium.
See you naphthalene post above.
To determine the empirical formula of vanadium oxide, we need to find the simplest whole number ratio between the number of vanadium atoms and oxygen atoms.
First, we need to convert the percent composition to grams. Assuming we have 100 grams of vanadium oxide, we have:
- 56.0 grams vanadium (V)
- 44.0 grams oxygen (O)
Next, we need to convert the grams to moles using the molar masses of vanadium and oxygen.
- Molar mass of vanadium (V) = 50.94 g/mol
- Molar mass of oxygen (O) = 16.00 g/mol
Using these molar masses, we can calculate the number of moles:
- Moles of vanadium (V) = 56.0 g / 50.94 g/mol = 1.098 mol
- Moles of oxygen (O) = 44.0 g / 16.00 g/mol = 2.75 mol
Now we need to find the simplest whole number ratio between these moles. We could divide both moles by the smallest value, which in this case is 1.098 mol:
- Moles of vanadium (V) = 1.098 mol / 1.098 mol = 1
- Moles of oxygen (O) = 2.75 mol / 1.098 mol = 2.5
This gives us the simplest whole number ratio of 1:2.5 for vanadium to oxygen. However, empirical formulas should have whole numbers, so we need to multiply both subscripts by 2 to get whole numbers:
- Empirical formula for vanadium oxide = V2O5
To determine the empirical formula for vanadium, we need to calculate the ratio of atoms of each element present in the compound. In this case, we have 56.0% vanadium and 44.0% oxygen.
Step 1: Convert the percentages to grams.
Assume we have 100g of vanadium oxide. This means we have 56g of vanadium and 44g of oxygen.
Step 2: Convert the grams to moles.
To convert grams to moles, divide the mass of each element by its atomic weight. The atomic weight of vanadium (V) is 50.94 g/mol, and the atomic weight of oxygen (O) is 16.00 g/mol.
Moles of vanadium (V) = 56g / 50.94 g/mol ≈ 1.10 mol
Moles of oxygen (O) = 44g / 16.00 g/mol ≈ 2.75 mol
Step 3: Divide by the smallest number of moles.
To determine the empirical formula, divide the number of moles of each element by the smallest number of moles. In this case, the smallest number of moles is 1.10 mol.
Moles of vanadium (V) / 1.10 mol ≈ 1
Moles of oxygen (O) / 1.10 mol ≈ 2.5
Step 4: Convert to whole numbers.
If we round the ratio 2.5 to the nearest whole number, we get 2.
Empirical formula for vanadium = V2O5
Therefore, the empirical formula for vanadium is V2O5.