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Note that the answers have been provided without regard to the correct number of significant

figures.
Study Block 3 Activities for Chemical Composition
1. The mole, atomic mass & molar mass
Model Information
One chair has one seat and four legs

One methane molecule (CH
4
) has one carbon atom
and four hydrogen atoms
1 dozen = 12 items
1 mole = 6.022 10
23
items
(Avogadros number)
1 amu = 1.6606 10
24
g

The Mole Concept
1. How many seats are there in one dozen chairs? 12
2. How many legs are there in one dozen chairs? 48
3. How many carbon atoms are there in one dozen methane molecules? 12
4. How many hydrogen atoms are there in one dozen methane molecules? 48
5. How many seats are there in one mole of chairs? 6.022 10
23

6. How many legs are there in one mole of chairs? 4 6.022 10
23
= 2.409 10
24

7. How many carbon atoms are there in one mole of methane molecules? 6.022 10
23

8. How many hydrogen atoms are there in one mole of methane molecules?
4 6.022 10
23
= 2.409 10
24


Atomic & Molar Mass
The periodic table shows the average atomic masses for each element in atomic mass units
(amu). These average atomic masses allow us to count atoms and molecules by weighing.
1. What is the average mass of a carbon atom in amu? 12.01 amu
2. What is the average mass of hydrogen atom in amu? 1.008 amu
3. What is the average mass of a methane molecule in amu? 16.042 amu
4. What is the mass of a methane molecule in grams?
16.042 1.6606 10
24
= 2.66 10
23
g
5. What is the mass of one mole of methane molecules in grams?
2.66 10
23
6.022 10
23
= 16.042 g
6. Describe the relationship between the mass of the methane molecule in amu (3) and
the mass of 1 mole of methane molecules (5). Numerically the same

The mass of one mole of atoms of any given element is numerically the same as the average
atomic mass shown in the periodic table. For example, one helium (He) atom weighs 4.003
amu and one mole of helium atoms weights 4.003 grams. The mass of one mole of atoms is
called the molar mass and has the unit grams per mole (g mol
1
). The molar mass of helium
is 4.003 g mol
1
. The molar mass of any substance is the sum of the molar masses of the
individual atoms involved. Consider one mole of water H
2
O molecules:

Molar Mass
Contains two moles of hydrogen atoms 2 1.008 g mol
1
= 2.016 g mol
1

Contains one mole of oxygen atoms 1 16.00 g mol
1
= 16.00 g mol
1

Molar mass of water 2.016 g mol
1
+ 16.00 g mol
1
= 18.016 g mol
1


The molar mass of even the most complex substances can be calculated in this way if the
formula is known. Complete the table on the following page by calculating the molar
masses.
Note that the answers have been provided without regard to the correct number of significant
figures.

Substance Formula Molar Mass
Copper Cu 63.55 g mol
1

Magnesium fluoride MgF
2
62.31 g mol
1

Ammonium nitrate NH
4
NO
3
80.052 g mol
1

Glucose C
6
H
12
O
6
180.156 g mol
1


Model: Counting by weighing

The number of moles of a substance can be calculated using the following relationship:




Where n is the number of moles (mol), m is the mass in grams (g) and M is the molar mass
in grams per mole (g mol
1
). This equation can be rearranged to calculate mass from a
known number of moles. Write the equation for calculating mass.

m = nM

The number of atoms/molecules present in an amount of substance can be calculated from
the number of moles.

Number of atoms or molecules = n 6.022 10
23


Exercises

1. Consider 1.00 mol of hydrogen gas (H
2
). How many hydrogen molecules are
present? 6.022 10
23
How many hydrogen atoms are present? 2 6.022 10
23
=
1.2044 10
24
What is the mass of this sample? 2.016 g (the molar mass of H
2
)
2. How many moles of carbon dioxide (CO
2
) are present in a sample that weighs 254 g?
5.77 mol
3. How many moles of oxygen atoms are present in the 254 g sample of CO
2
? 11.54 mol
4. Determine the mass of 2.5 moles of CO
2
. 110.025 g
5. Calculate the number of moles of ethanol (C
2
H
6
O) in a 100.0 g sample. 2.171 mol
6. How many moles of each element (C, H, O) are present in the 100.0 g sample of
ethanol? C 4.341 mol, H 13.024 mol, O 2.171 mol
7. What is the mass of 0.5623 moles of ethanol? 25.904 g
8. Diamond is composed of pure carbon (C). How many carbon atoms are present in a
1 carat diamond that weighs 0.200 g? Step 1 calculate moles of C (n = 1.665 10
2

mol) Step 2 calculate atoms of C (n 6.022 10
23
= 1.003 10
22
)
9. How many moles of nitrogen atoms are present in 1.0 g of ammonium nitrate
(NH
4
NO
3
)? Step 1 moles NH
4
NO
3
= 1.25 10
2
mol Step 2 moles N = 2.5 10
2
mol
10. How many nitrogen atoms are present in the 1.0 g sample of NH
4
NO
3
? 1.5 10
22


n =
m
M
Note that the answers have been provided without regard to the correct number of significant
figures.
2. Percent composition, empirical formula & molecular formula

Percent composition
Model: The percent composition (by mass) of an element in a molecule is the mass of the
element in the molecule divided by the mass of the entire molecule times 100. Since the
number of atoms/molecules is proportional to the number of moles of atoms/molecules we
can state:




Calculate the % composition of each element in the chlorofluorocarbon Freon CCl
2
F
2
.

Calculate the
molar mass of
Freon

120.91 g mol
1

Element Molar mass Moles present
in Freon
Mass present in
one mole of
Freon
% Composition
Carbon (C)

12.01 1 12.01 g 9.9 %
Chlorine (Cl)

35.45 2 70.90 g 58.6 %
Fluorine (F)

19.00 2 38.00 g 31.4%

What should the individual % compositions add up to? 100

Empirical Formula
Model: The empirical formula of a compound describes the relative number and types of
atoms present. It is given in terms of the lowest possible whole number ratio using
subscripts. For example, the empirical formula of ethane (formula C
2
H
6
) is CH
3
.

Information for some compounds that contain only carbon and hydrogen

% Composition (by mass)
Compound name Molecular
Formula
Carbon Hydrogen Empirical
Formula
ethyne C
2
H
2
92.26 7.74 CH
benzene C
6
H
6
92.26 7.74 CH
ethene C
2
H
4
85.63 14.37 CH
2

2-butene C
4
H
8
85.63 14.37 CH
2

1-octene C
8
H
16
85.63 14.37 CH
2


% Composition
of element i
= 100%
Mass of one mole of the compound
Mass of i in one mole of the compound
Note that the answers have been provided without regard to the correct number of significant
figures.

Key questions

1. Verify that the % composition given for ethyne in the table is correct.
2. What is the empirical formula of ethyne?
3. Fill in the missing % composition values and empirical formulas.
4. What conclusion can you draw about the relationship between % composition and
empirical formula? Compounds with the same percent composition have the same
empirical formula
5. How could you determine the hydrogen content in 2-butene without using the
formula given for % composition? 100 85.63 = 14.37
6. What information is needed to determine the molecular formula of a compound?
Molar mass and empirical formula

Determining empirical formula from % composition
Key questions
A compound containing only nitrogen and oxygen contains 36.8% nitrogen by mass.
a) How many grams of N are present in a 100 g sample of the compound? 36.8 g
b) How many grams of O would be present in the same sample? 63.2 g
c) How many moles of N are present in this sample? 2.63 mol
d) How many moles of O would be present? 3.95 mol
e) What is the ratio of moles O to moles N? O:N 1.5:1
Lowest whole number ratio O:N 3:2
f) What is the empirical formula of the compound? N
2
O
3


Exercises
1. The compound 2-hexene has the molecular formula C
6
H
12
. Refer to the table you
completed above to determine the % composition of carbon in this compound.
Empirical formula CH
2
Percent composition C 85.63 %, H 14.37 %
2. Determine the percentage composition of each element in titanium(IV) oxide (TiO
2
).
Ti 59.9 %, O 40.1 %
3. What is the mass of titanium in 57.2 g of TiO
2
? 34.3 g
4. What is the percentage by mass of platinum (Pt) in the anticancer drug oxaliplatin
(C
8
H
14
N
2
O
4
Pt)? 49.1 %
5. What mass of platinum is present in a 100 mg dose of oxaliplatin? 49.1 mg
6. A compound used as a dry cleaning fluid was analysed and found to contain 18.00%
C, 2.27% H and 79.73% Cl. Determine the empirical formula of the dry cleaning fluid.
Empirical formula C
2
H
3
Cl
3

7. An unknown liquid contains 38.7% C and 51.6% O by mass. The remainder of the
compound is H. What is the empirical formula of the unknown liquid? CH
3
O
8. A compound containing only P, O and Zn is used as dental cement. A sample of the
substance was analysed and determined to contain 33.16% O and 16.04% P. What is
the empirical formula of the dental cement? P
2
O
8
Zn
3

9. A compound with a molar mass of 219.9 g mol
1
that contains only phosphorus and
oxygen has empirical formula P
2
O
3
. What is the molecular formula of this
compound? Empirical formula mass is 109.94 g mol
1
so the molecule contains 2
empirical formula units. Molecular formula P
4
O
6

Note that the answers have been provided without regard to the correct number of significant
figures.

Problem
The addictive substance nicotine has a molar mass of 162.23 g mol
1
and percent by
mass composition of 74.03% C, 8.70% H, 17.27% N. Determine the molecular
formula of nicotine.

Empirical formula C
5
H
7
N
Empirical formula mass is 81.116 g mol
1

Molecule contains 2 empirical formula units
Molecular formula C
10
H
14
N
2

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