Question

What is the chemical formula of 58.9% Na 1% S

Answer 1

Answer on Question #49009 - Chemistry – Inorganic Chemistry

Question

What is the chemical formula of 58.9% Na 1% S

Answer:

It looks like it is a mistake in the question – if this compound contains only Na and S, then the mass percent of S should be 100% – 58.9% = 41.1%.

Assume we have 100 g of the compound. From the given mass percents of the elements in the compound, we can determine the mass of the element. This means that we have 58.9 g of Na and 1 g of S.

Convert each mass to moles using the molar mass of the element. Number of moles of sodium in 100 g sample:

$$n(Na) = \frac{m(Na)}{M(Na)} = \frac{58.9}{23.0} = 2.56 \text{ mol}$$

Number of moles of sulfur in 100 g sample:

$$n(S) = \frac{m(S)}{M(S)} = \frac{41.1}{32.1} = 1.28 \text{ mol}$$

The number of moles can then be converted into a lower terms ratio of the element to get the empirical formula:

$$\frac{2.56}{1.28} : \frac{1.28}{1.28} = 2.00 : 1.00 = 2 : 1$$

So, the chemical formula of the compound is Na₂S.

Answer: Na₂S

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