What is the mass percent of water in sodium sulfate decahydrate, Na2SO4 · 10H2O?
The molar mass of Na2SO4 is 142.04 g/mol, and the molar mass of 10H2O is 180.16 g/mol.
The total molar mass of Na2SO4 · 10H2O is 322.2 g/mol.
The molar mass of water (H2O) is 18.02 g/mol.
To calculate the mass percent of water in Na2SO4 · 10H2O, we first calculate the molar mass of water in the compound:
Molar mass of water in Na2SO4 · 10H2O = 10 * 18.02 g/mol = 180.2 g/mol
Now, we calculate the mass percent of water in Na2SO4 · 10H2O:
Mass percent of water = (mass of water / total mass) * 100%
Mass percent of water = (180.2 g / 322.2 g) * 100% ≈ 55.9%
Therefore, the mass percent of water in sodium sulfate decahydrate is approximately 55.9%.