nitrogen reacts with oxygen to form 2 compounds. Compund A contains 2.8 g of nitrogen for each 1.6 g of oxygen. Compound B contains 5.6g of nitrogen for each 9.6g of oxygen. What is the lowest whole number mass ratio of nitrogen that combines with a given mass of oxygen?

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To find the lowest whole number mass ratio of nitrogen that combines with a given mass of oxygen, we need to determine the simplest whole number ratio between the masses of nitrogen and oxygen in compounds A and B.

For Compound A:
Mass of nitrogen = 2.8 g
Mass of oxygen = 1.6 g

To find the simplest whole number ratio, we can divide both masses by their respective molar masses. The molar mass of nitrogen (N2) is 28 g/mol, and the molar mass of oxygen (O2) is 32 g/mol.

Number of moles of nitrogen in Compound A = 2.8 g / 28 g/mol = 0.1 mol
Number of moles of oxygen in Compound A = 1.6 g / 32 g/mol = 0.05 mol

Dividing both moles by the smaller value (0.05 mol), we get:

0.1 mol / 0.05 mol = 2 mol of nitrogen for every 1 mol of oxygen in Compound A

Therefore, the simplest whole number mass ratio of nitrogen to oxygen in Compound A is 2:1.

Now let's do the same calculations for Compound B:

Mass of nitrogen = 5.6 g
Mass of oxygen = 9.6 g

Number of moles of nitrogen in Compound B = 5.6 g / 28 g/mol = 0.2 mol
Number of moles of oxygen in Compound B = 9.6 g / 32 g/mol = 0.3 mol

Dividing both moles by the smaller value (0.2 mol), we get:

0.2 mol / 0.2 mol = 1 mol of nitrogen for every 1.5 mol of oxygen in Compound B

To convert the ratio to whole numbers, we can multiply both parts by 2:

1 mol x 2 / 1.5 mol x 2 = 2 mol of nitrogen for every 3 mol of oxygen in Compound B

Therefore, the simplest whole number mass ratio of nitrogen to oxygen in Compound B is 2:3.

Comparing the ratios of both compounds, the lowest whole number mass ratio of nitrogen that combines with a given mass of oxygen is 2:1, which is the ratio for Compound A.

To find the lowest whole number mass ratio of nitrogen that combines with a given mass of oxygen, we need to find the simplest ratio between the masses of nitrogen and oxygen in each compound.

Compound A contains 2.8 g of nitrogen for each 1.6 g of oxygen.

To simplify the ratio, we can divide both values by the highest common factor:
2.8 g / 0.8 g = 3.5
1.6 g / 0.8 g = 2

The simplified ratio is 3.5 g of nitrogen to 2 g of oxygen.

Now let's look at Compound B. It contains 5.6 g of nitrogen for each 9.6 g of oxygen.

Dividing both values by 1.6 g (the common factor of 5.6 and 9.6):
5.6 g / 1.6 g = 3.5
9.6 g / 1.6 g = 6

The simplified ratio is 3.5 g of nitrogen to 6 g of oxygen.

To find the lowest whole number mass ratio, we need to multiply the ratios so that the ratio becomes whole numbers:

Compound A: 3.5 x 2 = 7 : 4 (7 g of nitrogen to 4 g of oxygen)
Compound B: 3.5 x 3 = 10.5 : 18 (10.5 g of nitrogen to 18 g of oxygen)

Therefore, the lowest whole number mass ratio of nitrogen that combines with a given mass of oxygen is 7:4.