A chemistry student is given a sample of a compound containing sulfur, oxygen, and carbon. The student needs to determine the mass percentages of each element in the compound using mass balance calculations. The sample has a total mass of 5.00 grams, and the student devises an experiment to isolate each of the three elements by chemical reactions, and the mass of each element is recorded as follows: 1.20 g sulfur, 1.80 g oxygen, and 2.00 g carbon. What are the mass percentages of sulfur, oxygen, and carbon in the compound?

Question

A chemistry student is given a sample of a compound containing sulfur, oxygen, and carbon. The student needs to determine the mass percentages of each element in the compound using mass balance calculations. The sample has a total mass of 5.00 grams, and the student devises an experiment to isolate each of the three elements by chemical reactions, and the mass of each element is re

Answer 1

To find the mass percentages of each element in the compound, we will divide the mass of each element by the total mass of the compound and then multiply by 100.Mass percentage of sulfur: 1.20 g sulfur / 5.00 g total  * 100 = 24%Mass percentage of oxygen: 1.80 g oxygen / 5.00 g total  * 100 = 36%Mass percentage of carbon: 2.00 g carbon / 5.00 g total  * 100 = 40%So, the mass percentages of sulfur, oxygen, and carbon in the compound are 24%, 36%, and 40%, respectively.