4.

1 Percent by Mass
Percent composition indicates the relative amounts of each element in a compound. For
each element, the mass percent formula is:

% mass = (mass of element in 1 mole of the compound) / (molar mass of the

compound) x 100%

or

mass percent = (mass of solute / mass of solution) x 100%

The units of mass are typically grams. Mass percent is also known as percent by weight
or w/w%. The molar mass is the sum of the masses of all the atoms in one mole of the
compound. The sum all the mass percentages should add up to 100%. Watch for
rounding errors in the last significant figure to make sure all the percentages add up.

Mass Percent Composition Problem

Bicarbonate of soda (sodium hydrogen carbonate) is used in many commercial
preparations. Its formula is NaHCO3. Find the mass percentages (mass %) of Na, H, C,
and O in sodium hydrogen carbonate.

Solution:

First, look up the atomic masses for the elements from the Periodic Table. The atomic
masses are found to be:

Na is 22.99
H is 1.01
C is 12.01
O is 16.00

Next, determine how many grams of each element are present in one mole of NaHCO3:

22.99 g (1 mol) of Na
1.01 g (1 mol) of H
12.01 g (1 mol) of C
48.00 g (3 mole x 16.00 gram per mole) of O

The mass of one mole of NaHCO3 is:

22.99 g + 1.01 g + 12.01 g + 48.00 g = 84.01 g
And the mass percentages of the elements are

mass % Na = 22.99 g / 84.01 g x 100 = 27.36 %

mass % H = 1.01 g / 84.01 g x 100 = 1.20 %
mass % C = 12.01 g / 84.01 g x 100 = 14.30 %
mass % O = 48.00 g / 84.01 g x 100 = 57.14 %

Answer:

mass % Na = 27.36 %
mass % H = 1.20 %
mass % C = 14.30 %
mass % O = 57.14 %
When doing mass percent calculations, it's always a good idea to check to make sure
your mass percents add up to 100% (helps catch math errors):

27.36 + 14.30 + 1.20 + 57.14 = 100.00

Percent Composition of Water

Another simple example is finding the mass percent composition of the elements in
water, H2O.

First, find the molar mass of water by adding up the atomic masses of the elements.
Use values from the periodic table:

H is 1.01 grams per mole

O is 16.00 grams per mole
Get the molar mass by adding up all the masses of elements in the compound. The
subscript after the hydrogen (H) indicates there are two atoms of hydrogen. There is no
subscript after oxygen (O), which means only one atom is present.

molar mass = (2 x 1.01) + 16.00

molar mass = 18.02
Now, divide the mass of each element by the total mass to get the mass percentages:

mass % H = (2 x 1.01) / 18.02 x 100%

mass % H = 11.19%
mass % O = 16.00 / 18.02
mass % O = 88.81%

The mass percentages of hydrogen and oxygen add up to 100%.

Mass Percent of Carbon Dioxide

What are the mass percentages of carbon and oxygen in carbon dioxide, CO2?

Solution
Step 1: Find the mass of the individual atoms.

Look up the atomic masses for carbon and oxygen from the Periodic Table. It's a good
idea at this point to settle on the number of significant figures you'll be using. The atomic
masses are found to be:

C is 12.01 g/mol
O is 16.00 g/mol
Step 2: Find the number of grams of each component make up one mole of CO2.

One mole of CO2 contains 1 mole of carbon atoms and 2 moles of oxygen atoms.

12.01 g (1 mol) of C
32.00 g (2 mol x 16.00 gram per mole) of O
The mass of one mole of CO2 is:

12.01 g + 32.00 g = 44.01 g

Step 3: Find the mass percent of each atom.

mass % = (mass of component/mass of total) x 100

And the mass percentages of the elements are

For carbon:

mass % C = (mass of 1 mol of carbon/mass of 1 mol of CO2) x 100

mass % C = (12.01 g / 44.01 g) x 100
mass % C = 27.29 %
For oxygen:

mass % O = (mass of 1 mol of oxygen/mass of 1 mol of CO2) x 100

mass % O = (32.00 g / 44.01 g) x 100
mass % O = 72.71 %
Answer

mass % C = 27.29 %
mass % O = 72.71 %
Again, make sure your mass percents add up to 100%. This will help catch any math
errors.

27.29 + 72.71 = 100.00

The answers add up to 100% which is what was expected.

4.2 Percent by Volume

Definition: Percent by volume or volume percent is a common expression used for
expressing concentration. It is related to the molar concentration but the difference is
that the volume percent is expressed with a denominator of 100. It is used for reporting
concentration of liquids solutes in solution.

General formula: the general formula for calculating the percent by formula is:

It is also called %V/V and it is always expressed as percentage (%) and the units of the
volume should be in mL. Another way to express this % is as the volume of solute in mL
that are in 100 mL of solution.

Use: It is a common formula in chemistry. As the same as molar concentration it is used

for expressing the concentration of solutes in solution. Percent by volume is also widely
use in pharmaceutical field for expressing the concentration of different components in
solution.

Example: A solution of propanol (CH3CH2CH2OH) is prepared by dissolving 67 mL in

enough water to have a final volume of 250 mL. What is the volume percent of the
ethanol?

First, it should be identified

Volume of solute = 67 mL
Volume of solution = 250 mL

% V/V = (67 mL/ 250 mL) x 100% = 26.8%

How many mL of HNO3 concentrate are needed to prepare 250 mL of solution 4%?

First, identify the data available:

Volume of solute =?

Volume of solution = 250 mL

% V/V = 4%

Volume solute = 4% x 250 mL / 100% = 10 mL of HNO3 are needed for preparing

4.3 Percent Composition

Percent Composition Formula

Percent composition is the term used to describe the percent by mass of each element
in a compound. It is typically found using the molar mass values for both the elements in
the compound and the compound itself.

Percent Composition Formula Questions:

1.Find the percent composition of water.

Answer:

First, find the molar mass of water (H2O).

H = 1.01 x 2 = 2.02 H2O = 2.02 + 16.00 = 18.02

O = 16.00 x 1 =

Now find the percent composition of each element.

2. Find the percent composition of calcium nitrate, Ca(NO3)2.

Ca = 40.08 x 1 = 40.08 Ca(NO3)2 = 40.08 + 28.02 + 96.00 = 164.10

N = 14.01 x 2 = 28.02

O = 16.00 x 6 = 96.00

4.4 Percent Composition to Empirical and Molecular Formula

Empirical Formula
The empirical formula of a chemical compound gives the ratio of elements, using
subscripts to indicate the number of each atom. It's also known as the simplest formula.
Here is how to find the empirical formula, with an example:

Steps for Finding the Empirical Formula

You can find the empirical formula of a compound using percent composition data. If
you know the total molar mass of the compound, the molecular formula usually can be
determined as well. The easiest way to find the formula is:

Assume you have 100 g of the substance (makes the math easier because everything
is a straight percent).
Consider the amounts you are given as being in units of grams.
Convert the grams to moles for each element.
Find the smallest whole number ratio of moles for each element.
Empirical Formula Problem
Find the empirical formula for a compound consisting of 63% Mn and 37% O

Solution for Finding the Empirical Formula

Assuming 100 g of the compound, there would be 63 g Mn and 37 g O
Look up the number of grams per mole for each element using the Periodic Table.
There are 54.94 grams in each mole of manganese and 16.00 grams in a mole of
oxygen.
63 g Mn × (1 mol Mn)/(54.94 g Mn) = 1.1 mol Mn
37 g O × (1 mol O)/(16.00 g O) = 2.3 mol O

Find the smallest whole number ratio by dividing the number of moles of each element
by the number of moles for the element present in the smallest molar amount. In this
case, there is less Mn than O, so divide by the number of moles of Mn:

1.1 mol Mn/1.1 = 1 mol Mn

2.3 mol O/1.1 = 2.1 mol O

The best ratio is Mn:O of 1:2 and the formula is MnO2

The empirical formula is MnO2

Molecular Formula

4.5 Empirical Formula to Molecular Formula (given its molar mass)

You start by determining the empirical formula for the compound.

1. Determine the mass in grams of each element in the sample. If you are given
percent composition, you can directly convert the percentage of each element to
grams.
For example, a molecule has a molecular weight of 180.18 g/mol. It is found to contain
40.00% carbon, 6.72% hydrogen and 53.28% oxygen.

Convert the percentages to grams.

40.00 grams of carbon

6.72 grams of hydrogen
53.28 grams of oxygen

2. Determine the number of moles of each element by dividing its mass in grams by
its molar mass (atomic weight in g/mol).
moles C = 40.00 g x 1 mol C/12.01 g/mol C = 3.33 moles C

moles H = 6.72 g x 1 mol H/1.01 g/mol H = 6.65 moles H

moles O = 53.28 g x 1 mol O/16.00 g/mol O = 3.33 moles O

3. Calculate the mole ratios by dividing the number of moles of each element by the
lowest number of moles to get the lowest whole number ratio.
C = 3.33/3.33 = 1.00
H = 6.65/3.33 = 2.00
O = 3.33/3.33 = 1.00

4. Use the whole number ratio of moles to determine the empirical formula. The
whole number ratio for each element becomes its subscript.
Empirical formula is CH2O

5. Determine the empirical formula weight.

Empirical formula weight = (1 x 12.01g/mol) + (2 x 1.01g/mol) + (1 x 16.00g/mol) =
30.02g/mol.

6. Divide the molar mass for the molecular formula by the empirical formula mass.
The result determines how many times to multiply the subscripts in the empirical
formula to get the molecular formula.
The molecular weight of this compound is 180.18g/mol.
180.18/30.02 = 6.002

Multiply each subscript in the empirical formula to get the molecular formula. The
molecular formula is C6H12O6
.
7. Double check by calculating your molecular molar mass.
C = (6 x 12.01g/mol) = 72.06
H = (12 x 1.01g/mol) = 12.12
O = (16.00 x 6g/mol) = 96
Total: 180.18g/mol
Ref:
https://www.thoughtco.com/mass-percent-composition-example-609567
http://www.softschools.com/formulas/chemistry/percent_by_volume_formula/568/
https://www.thoughtco.com/empirical-formula-from-percent-composition-609552
https://chem.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Introductory_Chemistry/Map%3A_Introductory_
Chemistry_(Tro)/06%3A_Chemical_Composition/6.9%3A_Calculating_Molecular_Form
ulas_for_Compounds
http://www.softschools.com/formulas/chemistry/
http://www.softschools.com/formulas/chemistry/percent_composition_formula/130/
https://socratic.org/questions/how-can-i-find-the-molecular-formula-from-molar-mass