In Science, one acetic acid molecule is made of 2 carbon atoms, 2 oxygen atoms, and 4 hydrogen atoms. The ratio of carbon atoms to all atoms in 2 molecules of acetic acid is _____ to _____
the same as the ratio in one molecule: 2:8 = 1:4
The chemical formula (and hence the ratio of atoms) does not change with the number of molecules!
To find the ratio of carbon atoms to all atoms in 2 molecules of acetic acid, we need to first determine the total number of carbon atoms and the total number of all atoms in 2 molecules of acetic acid.
Let's start by calculating the total number of carbon atoms in 2 molecules of acetic acid. We know that each molecule has 2 carbon atoms, so for 2 molecules, we would have:
2 molecules × 2 carbon atoms/molecule = 4 carbon atoms
Next, let's calculate the total number of all atoms in 2 molecules of acetic acid. We can count the number of each type of atom and then add them together.
For 2 molecules of acetic acid:
Carbon atoms: 2 molecules × 2 carbon atoms/molecule = 4 carbon atoms
Oxygen atoms: 2 molecules × 2 oxygen atoms/molecule = 4 oxygen atoms
Hydrogen atoms: 2 molecules × 4 hydrogen atoms/molecule = 8 hydrogen atoms
Total number of all atoms in 2 molecules of acetic acid:
4 carbon atoms + 4 oxygen atoms + 8 hydrogen atoms = 16 atoms
Therefore, the ratio of carbon atoms to all atoms in 2 molecules of acetic acid is:
4 carbon atoms : 16 atoms
Simplifying this ratio, we can divide both sides by 4:
1 carbon atom : 4 atoms
Thus, the ratio of carbon atoms to all atoms in 2 molecules of acetic acid is 1:4.