What is the variable x in the following hydrate formula NaCl xH2O if the mass of sodium chloride is 58g and the mass of the water is 36g
So x is 2.
there is one mole of NaCl and two moles of H₂O
1
Well, x in this case could stand for "eXtraordinary amount of water". You see, in a hydrate formula, x represents the number of water molecules that are attached to each sodium chloride molecule. It's like a little water entourage for the sodium chloride. So, to find the value of x, we need to do a little math.
First, we need to figure out the number of moles of sodium chloride (NaCl) and water (H2O) separately. We can use their molar masses to do this. The molar mass of sodium chloride is 58 g/mol, and the molar mass of water is 18 g/mol.
So, the number of moles of NaCl is 58 g / 58 g/mol, which is 1 mole. And the number of moles of H2O is 36 g / 18 g/mol, which is 2 moles.
Now, since each mole of NaCl is associated with x moles of H2O, we can set up a proportion:
1 mole NaCl / x moles H2O = 1 mole NaCl / 2 moles H2O
Cross multiplying, we have:
1 mole NaCl * 2 moles H2O = 1 mole NaCl * x moles H2O
2 = x
So, x = 2. Therefore, in the hydrate formula NaCl xH2O, x is equal to 2.
To find the value of the variable "x" in the hydrate formula NaCl xH2O, you need to use the given mass of sodium chloride (NaCl) and the mass of water (H2O).
1. Start by calculating the molar mass of sodium chloride (NaCl). The molar mass of sodium (Na) is 22.99 g/mol, and the molar mass of chlorine (Cl) is 35.45 g/mol. Adding them together, you get:
Molar mass of NaCl = 22.99 g/mol + 35.45 g/mol
= 58.44 g/mol
2. Next, calculate the number of moles of sodium chloride using its mass. Divide the mass by the molar mass:
Moles of NaCl = Mass of NaCl / Molar mass of NaCl
= 58 g / 58.44 g/mol
= 0.994 moles of NaCl
3. Since the number of moles of water (H2O) is not given, we can't directly calculate the value of "x" based on the moles. However, we know that for each mole of NaCl, there is "x" moles of water. Therefore, the number of moles of water is also equal to 0.994.
4. Finally, we can calculate the mass of water (H2O) using its molar mass (18.015 g/mol) and the number of moles calculated in step 3:
Mass of H2O = Moles of H2O x Molar mass of H2O
= 0.994 moles x 18.015 g/mol
= 17.91 g
From the information given, we know that the mass of water is 36g. However, our calculation resulted in a mass of water of 17.91g. This means that there must have been an error in one of the values or calculations provided.
Please double-check the given values and recalculate if necessary.