A student performed an experiment to determine the molecular weight of a gaseous compound.
Using the ideal gas law PV = nRT, and knowing the pressure, temperature, and volume of the vapor,
the student calculated the number of moles of gas, n, to be 0.0443 mol. The weight of the gas was
1.42 g. What is the molecular weight of this compound?
mols = grams/molar mass. You know grams and mols, solve for molar mass.
To find the molecular weight of a compound using the ideal gas law, you need to rearrange the equation to solve for the molecular weight (Mw).
The ideal gas law equation is: PV = nRT
Where:
P = Pressure (in atm)
V = Volume (in liters)
n = Number of moles
R = Ideal gas constant (0.0821 L.atm/mol.K)
T = Temperature (in Kelvin)
In this case, we know:
n = 0.0443 mol
Weight of the gas = 1.42 g
First, we need to convert grams of the gas to moles. We can do this by using the molar mass of the gas.
Molar mass = Weight of the gas / Number of moles
Molar mass = 1.42 g / 0.0443 mol
Molar mass = 32.06 g/mol
Therefore, the molecular weight of the compound is 32.06 g/mol.
To determine the molecular weight of the compound, we can use the relationship between the number of moles of gas, the weight of the gas, and the molecular weight of the compound.
The formula to calculate the molecular weight (MW) is:
MW = (Weight of the gas) / (Number of moles of gas)
In this case, the weight of the gas is given as 1.42 g, and the number of moles of gas is given as 0.0443 mol. Plugging these values into the formula, we can calculate the molecular weight.
MW = 1.42 g / 0.0443 mol
MW = 32.07 g/mol
Therefore, the molecular weight of this compound is 32.07 g/mol.