3. A hydrated salt has the following composition by mass: Iron [tex]$20.2\%$[/tex], Oxygen [tex]$23.0\%$[/tex], Sulfur [tex]$11.5\%$[/tex], and the rest is water. Determine the formula of the hydrated salt [tex]\((Fe = 56, S = 32, O = 16, H = 1)\)[/tex].

(3 marks)



Answer :

To determine the formula of the hydrated salt, we need to follow a step-by-step approach to find the mole ratio of the elements and water in the compound. Here's a detailed solution:

1. Determine the Mass Percent of Water:
Given:
- Mass percent of Iron (Fe) = 20.2%
- Mass percent of Oxygen (O) = 23.0%
- Mass percent of Sulfur (S) = 11.5%

The mass percent of water (H₂O) can be calculated as:
[tex]\[ \text{Mass percent of Water} = 100\% - (\text{Mass percent of Iron} + \text{Mass percent of Oxygen} + \text{Mass percent of Sulfur}) \][/tex]
[tex]\[ \text{Mass percent of Water} = 100\% - (20.2\% + 23.0\% + 11.5\%) = 45.3\% \][/tex]

2. Convert Mass Percent to Moles:
Using the molar masses:
- Molar mass of Fe = 56 g/mol
- Molar mass of S = 32 g/mol
- Molar mass of O = 16 g/mol
- Molar mass of H₂O (water) = 2 * 1 (H) + 16 (O) = 18 g/mol

Now calculate the moles of each element based on their mass percentages:

Moles of Fe:
[tex]\[ \text{Moles of Fe} = \frac{\text{Mass percent of Fe}}{\text{Molar mass of Fe}} = \frac{20.2}{56} \approx 0.3607 \text{ moles} \][/tex]

Moles of S:
[tex]\[ \text{Moles of S} = \frac{\text{Mass percent of S}}{\text{Molar mass of S}} = \frac{11.5}{32} \approx 0.3594 \text{ moles} \][/tex]

Moles of O:
[tex]\[ \text{Moles of O} = \frac{\text{Mass percent of O}}{\text{Molar mass of O}} = \frac{23.0}{16} = 1.4375 \text{ moles} \][/tex]

Moles of H₂O:
[tex]\[ \text{Moles of H₂O} = \frac{\text{Mass percent of Water}}{\text{Molar mass of H₂O}} = \frac{45.3}{18} \approx 2.5167 \text{ moles} \][/tex]

3. Determine the Simplest Whole Number Ratio:
Calculate the mole ratios by dividing each by the smallest number of moles (approximately 0.3594 moles of S):

Ratio of Fe:
[tex]\[ \text{Ratio of Fe} = \frac{0.3607}{0.3594} \approx 1.00 \][/tex]

Ratio of S:
[tex]\[ \text{Ratio of S} = \frac{0.3594}{0.3594} = 1.00 \][/tex]

Ratio of O:
[tex]\[ \text{Ratio of O} = \frac{1.4375}{0.3594} \approx 4.00 \][/tex]

Ratio of H₂O:
[tex]\[ \text{Ratio of H₂O} = \frac{2.5167}{0.3594} \approx 7.00 \][/tex]

4. Write the Empirical Formula:
The mole ratios indicate that the compound consists of Fe, S, O in whole numbers of 1:1:4, and water in a whole number ratio of 7.

Therefore, the formula of the hydrated salt is:
[tex]\[ \text{FeSO}_4 \cdot 7\text{H}_2\text{O} \][/tex]

So, the formula of the hydrated salt is [tex]\(\text{FeSO}_4 \cdot 7\text{H}_2\text{O}\)[/tex].

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