0.318g of an oxide metal M was completely reduced by hydrogen gas to 0.254g of metal.Calculate the empirical formula of metal oxide
To find the empirical formula of the metal oxide, we need to determine the ratio of the metal to oxygen in the compound.
1. Calculate the mass of oxygen in the compound:
Mass of oxygen = Mass of metal oxide - Mass of metal
Mass of oxygen = 0.318g - 0.254g = 0.064g
2. Determine the ratio of metal to oxygen:
Metal:Oxygen = Mass of metal / Mass of oxygen
Metal:Oxygen = 0.254g / 0.064g = 3.97
Since we can't have a fraction for the ratio, we need to multiply both the metal and oxygen by the same factor to get whole numbers. In this case, we can multiply by 100 to get whole number ratio.
3. Multiply the metal:oxygen ratio by 100:
Metal:Oxygen = 3.97 * 100 = 397:100
The empirical formula of the metal oxide is therefore M2O3, which indicates that there are 2 moles of metal M for every 3 moles of oxygen.