Find percentage composition of K2SO4 in alum.
Normally used alum only
To find the percentage composition of K2SO4 in alum, we need to know the chemical formula of alum. Alum is a hydrated double salt consisting of potassium sulfate (K2SO4) and aluminum sulfate (Al2(SO4)3) with water molecules. The general formula for alum is usually written as K2SO4 · Al2(SO4)3 · 24H2O.
Now, let's focus on finding the percentage composition of K2SO4 in alum. The first step is to calculate the molar mass of K2SO4 and the molar mass of the entire alum compound.
- The molar mass of K2SO4 can be calculated as follows:
- Atomic mass of potassium (K) = 39.10 g/mol (from the periodic table)
- Atomic mass of sulfur (S) = 32.07 g/mol
- Atomic mass of oxygen (O) = 16.00 g/mol
- Molar mass of K2SO4 = (2 * atomic mass of potassium) + atomic mass of sulfur + (4 * atomic mass of oxygen)
- The molar mass of alum can be calculated by summing up the molar masses of each individual element present in the compound. Since there are multiple atoms of each element in the formula, we need to multiply the molar mass of each element by its respective subscript and then add them all up.
Once we obtain the molar mass of K2SO4 and the molar mass of alum, we can determine the percentage composition of K2SO4 in alum by dividing the molar mass of K2SO4 by the molar mass of alum and then multiplying by 100.
Remember to convert the values to their respective percent by multiplying by 100 at the end of the calculation.
Please note that the exact percentage composition may vary depending on the specific type of alum used, as there are different variations of alum with varying ratios of K2SO4 and Al2(SO4)3.