calculate the percent composition of the compound that forms when 222.6 g nitrogen combines completely with 77.4g oxygen.
To calculate the percent composition of a compound, we need to determine the masses of each element in the compound and then divide the mass of each element by the total mass of the compound, and finally multiply by 100.
1. Determine the molar masses of nitrogen (N) and oxygen (O) using the periodic table or a molar mass calculator. The molar mass of nitrogen (N) is 14.01 g/mol, and the molar mass of oxygen (O) is 16.00 g/mol.
2. Convert the given masses of nitrogen and oxygen to moles by dividing each mass by its respective molar mass.
Moles of nitrogen (N) = 222.6 g / 14.01 g/mol
Moles of oxygen (O) = 77.4 g / 16.00 g/mol
3. Determine the ratio of moles between nitrogen and oxygen by dividing the moles of each element by the smallest number of moles obtained in the previous step.
Ratio of moles = Moles of nitrogen (N) / Smallest number of moles
= Moles of oxygen (O) / Smallest number of moles
4. Round the ratio of moles to the nearest whole number to get the whole number ratio between the elements in the compound.
5. Write the empirical formula for the compound using the whole number ratio obtained in the previous step. The empirical formula represents the simplest whole number ratio of atoms in the compound.
6. Calculate the percent composition by dividing the molar mass of each element in the empirical formula by the molar mass of the compound and multiplying by 100.
Percent composition of nitrogen (N) = (Molar mass of nitrogen (N) / Molar mass of the compound) * 100
Percent composition of oxygen (O) = (Molar mass of oxygen (O) / Molar mass of the compound) * 100
By following these steps, you should be able to calculate the percent composition of the compound that forms when nitrogen combines completely with oxygen.