sorry! this is the full question:
Two samples of sodium chloride were decomposed into their constituent elements. One sample produced 1.78 g of sodium and 2.74 g of chlorine. Which of the following could be the results of the decomposition of the other sample, being consistent with the law of constant composition (also called the law of definite proportions or law of definite composition)?
i don't understand this at all.
I repeat that you didn't enter all of the problem. Where is the "which of the following could be the results of the decomposition of the other sample.......
?"
the rest:
a. 5.65 g of sodium and 1.42 g of chlorine
b. 5.65 g of sodium and 3.39 g of chlorine.
c. 5.65 g of sodium and 8.70 g of chlorine
d. 5.65 g of sodium and 12.4 g of chlorine
You can do this with a variety of ratios but I would pick (just to have a ratio greater than 1.0) Cl/Na. That is 2.74/1.78 = about 1.54.
Then go through the answers and find the Cl/Na ratio. The ratio that gives you 1.54 is the answer. For example, a is 1.42/5.64 = about 0.25 so a can't be right.
C is correct.
We should choose the answer whose approximation is the closest to our question.
Our question: 2.74/1.78 = 1.539325843
C = 8.70/5.65 = 1.539823009
The ratios between C and our question are very close.
No problem! I'll guide you through the process of solving this problem step by step.
First, let's understand the law of constant composition. This law states that a pure compound is always composed of the same elements in the same proportion by mass. In other words, regardless of the source or method of preparation, the ratio between the constituent elements in a compound will always be the same.
Now, let's apply this concept to the given problem. We have two samples of sodium chloride that were decomposed. One sample produced 1.78 g of sodium and 2.74 g of chlorine. We need to find which combination of sodium and chlorine masses for the other sample would be consistent with the law of constant composition.
To solve this, we need to find the ratio of sodium to chlorine in the first sample. The easiest way to do this is by dividing the mass of sodium by the mass of chlorine. So, 1.78 g of sodium divided by 2.74 g of chlorine is approximately 0.65. This means the first sample has a sodium-to-chlorine ratio of 0.65:1.
Now, let's consider the possible combinations for the second sample. Remember, we're looking for combinations that have the same ratio of sodium to chlorine. Here are a few possibilities:
1) If the second sample produced 0.65 g of sodium and 1 g of chlorine, the ratio would still be 0.65:1, consistent with the law of constant composition.
2) If the second sample produced 3.9 g of sodium and 6 g of chlorine, the ratio would be 0.65:1 as well.
3) If the second sample produced 13 g of sodium and 20 g of chlorine, the ratio would still be 0.65:1.
So, any combination that maintains the 0.65:1 ratio of sodium to chlorine will be consistent with the law of constant composition.