Saccharin (C7H5NO3S) is sometimes dispensed in tablet form. Ten tablets with total mass of 0.5797 g were dissolved in water. The solution was then oxidized to convert all the sulfur to sulfate ion, which was precipitated by adding an excess of barium chloride solution. The mass of BaSO4 obtained was 0.5179 g. What is the average mass of saccharin per tablet?

moles BaSO4 = grams/molar mass = ??

moles S = moles BaSO4
moles S = moles saccharin (1 S per molecule saccharin).
g saccharin = moles x molar mass
That's for 10 tablets; divide the total mass by 10 to obtain mass/tablet.

Let me pose a separate question. Why go to all that work above. Why not just divide 0.5797 by 10 to obtain the mass of 1 tablet? Answer: That will give you the mass of 1 tablet, true enough, BUT not all of each tablet is pure saccharin. A binder is added to each tablet, too.

To find the average mass of saccharin per tablet, we need to calculate the mass of saccharin in the 10 tablets and then divide it by 10.

First, let's calculate the mass of sulfur in the BaSO4 precipitate. Since 1 molecule of saccharin contains 1 sulfur atom, the mass of sulfur in the BaSO4 is equal to the mass of the BaSO4 obtained.

Mass of sulfur = Mass of BaSO4 = 0.5179 g

Next, we need to calculate the molar mass of saccharin to find the number of saccharin molecules in 0.5797 g.

Molar mass of saccharin = (7*12.01) + (5*1.01) + 14.01 + 32.07 = 183.18 g/mol

Now we can calculate the number of saccharin molecules dissolved in water:

Number of saccharin molecules = (Mass of saccharin / Molar mass of saccharin) = (0.5797 g / 183.18 g/mol)

Lastly, we divide this number by 10 to find the average mass of saccharin per tablet:

Average mass of saccharin per tablet = (Number of saccharin molecules / 10)

Therefore, the average mass of saccharin per tablet can be calculated by substituting the values into the respective equations.

To find the average mass of saccharin per tablet, we need to determine the mass of saccharin in the 10 tablets and then divide it by 10.

Step 1: Calculate the mass of sulfate ion (BaSO4):
The mass of BaSO4 obtained is given as 0.5179 g.

Step 2: Convert the mass of BaSO4 to the mass of sulfur (S):
The molar mass of BaSO4 is 233.4 g/mol.
The molar mass of sulfur (S) is 32.1 g/mol.

To convert between the two, we set up a ratio of the molar masses:
(32.1 g S / 233.4 g BaSO4) = (X g S / 0.5179 g BaSO4)

Solving for X, we get:
X = (32.1 g S / 233.4 g BaSO4) * 0.5179 g BaSO4
X ≈ 0.0707 g S

Step 3: Calculate the molar mass of saccharin (C7H5NO3S):
The molar mass of carbon (C) is 12.0 g/mol.
The molar mass of hydrogen (H) is 1.0 g/mol.
The molar mass of nitrogen (N) is 14.0 g/mol.
The molar mass of oxygen (O) is 16.0 g/mol.
The molar mass of sulfur (S) is 32.1 g/mol.

Calculating the molar mass of saccharin:
(7 * 12.0 g C) + (5 * 1.0 g H) + (1 * 14.0 g N) + (3 * 16.0 g O) + (1 * 32.1 g S) = 180.1 g/mol

Step 4: Calculate the mass of saccharin in the 10 tablets:
The mass of saccharin in the 10 tablets is given as 0.5797 g.

Step 5: Calculate the average mass of saccharin per tablet:
Average mass of saccharin per tablet = (Total mass of saccharin in 10 tablets / Number of tablets)
Average mass of saccharin pe tablet = (0.5797 g / 10)
Average mass of saccharin per tablet ≈ 0.05797 g

Therefore, the average mass of saccharin per tablet is approximately 0.05797 g.