Chapter 3 - Stoichiometry

3.1 Formulae

State the formulae of the elements and compounds named in the subject
content
Define the molecular formula of a compound as the number and type of
different atoms in one molecule
Deduce the formula of a simple compound from the relative numbers of atoms
present in a model or a diagrammatic representation
Construct word equations and symbol equations to show how reactants form
products, including state symbols
Define the empirical formula of a compound as the simplest whole number
ratio of the different atoms or ions in a compound
Deduce the formula of an ionic compound from the relative numbers of the
ions present in a model or a diagrammatic representation or from the charges
on the ions
Construct symbol equations with state symbols, including ionic equations
Deduce the symbol equation with state symbols for a chemical reaction, given
relevant information

3.2 Relative masses of atoms and molecules

Describe relative atomic mass, Ar, as the average mass of the isotopes of an
element compared to 1/12th of the mass of an atom of 12C
Define relative molecular mass, Mr, as the sum of the relative atomic masses.
Relative formula mass, Mr, will be used for ionic compounds
Calculate reacting masses in simple proportions. Calculations will not involve
the mole concept

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3.3 The mole and the Avogadro constant

State that concentration can be measured in g/dm3 or mol/dm3

State that the mole, mol, is the unit of amount of substance and that one mole
contains 6.02 ×1023 particles, e.g. atoms, ions, molecules; this number is the
Avogadro constant
Use the relationship:

amount of substance (mol) = mass (g) / molar mass (g/mol)

to calculate:
o amount of substance
o mass
o molar mass
o relative atomic mass or relative molecular / formula mass
o number of particles, using the value of the Avogadro constant
Use the molar gas volume, taken as 24dm3 at room temperature and
pressure, r.t.p., in calculations involving gases
Calculate stoichiometric reacting masses, limiting reactants, volumes of gases
at r.t.p., volumes of solutions and concentrations of solutions expressed in
g/dm3 and mol/dm3, including conversion between cm3 and dm3
Use experimental data from a titration to calculate the moles of solute, or the
concentration or volume of a solution
Calculate empirical formulae and molecular formulae, given appropriate data
Calculate percentage yield, percentage composition by mass and percentage
purity, given appropriate data

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Molecular formula of a compound is the number and type of different atoms in one
molecule

Empirical formula of a compound is the simplest whole number ratio of the different
atoms or ions in a compound

Relative atomic mass, Ar is the average mass of the isotopes of an element

compared to 1/12th of the mass of an atom of 12C

Relative molecular mass, Mr is the sum of the relative atomic masses

Relative formula mass, Mr is used for ionic compounds

A mole is the unit of amount of substance and 1 mole contains 6.02 x 1023 atoms,
ions or molecules

Avogadro's Constant = 6.02 x 1023

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3.1 Formulae

Naming Compounds

Compounds take their names from the elements they are made up from. The rules
for naming compounds are:

The metal, or positive ion, goes first and the non-metal goes second.
If a compound does not have a metal, then the non-metal that is most to the
left on the Periodic Table goes first.
The (second) non-metal's name changes its ending.

Non-Metal Element Changed Name in a Compound

Fluorine Fluoride
Chlorine Chloride
Bromine Bromide
Iodine Iodide
Oxygen Oxide
Sulphur Sulphide
Nitrogen Nitride
Phosphorous Phosphide
Carbon Carbide
Hydrogen Hydride

So a compound containing calcium and oxygen would be called calcium oxide and a
compound containing lithium and hydrogen would be called lithium hydride and a
compound containing phosphorus and chlorine would be called phosphorus chloride.

When naming transition metal compounds it is important to include the valency of

the transition metal cation. This is because transition metals have variable valencies.
Copper sulphate is actually called copper(II) sulphate because the copper has a
valency of 2+.

Note - organic molecules (see Chapter 11) are named using a different system.

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Formulae of Compounds

To work out the formula of a compound you must know the valency of the elements
in the compound. Most elements' valency can be found from the Periodic Table.
The exceptions to this are transition metals, other elements with variable valencies
and polyatomic ions.

Cations Anions

Name Formula Valency Name Formula Valency

+ -
hydrogen H 1+ hydride H 1-
+
silver(I) Ag 1+ nitrate(V) NO3 1-
mercury(I) Hg+ 1+ nitrate(III) NO2 1-
copper(I) Cu+ 1+ hydroxide OH 1-
hydrogen
gold Au+ 1+ HCO3 1-
carbonate
ammonium NH4+ 1+ manganate(VII) MnO4- 1-
ethanoate CH3COO 1-
Name Formula Valency
zinc Zn2+ 2+ Name Formula Valency
mercury(II) Hg2+ 2+ carbonate CO32 2-
copper(II) Cu2+ 2+ sulphate(VI) SO42 2-
2+ 2
iron(II) Fe 2+ sulphate(IV) SO3 2-
2+ 2
lead(II) Pb 2+ sulphide S 2-
2+ 2
tin(II) Sn 2+ thiosulphate S2O3 2-
manganese(II) Mn2+ 2+ silicate(IV) SiO32 2-
chromate(VI) Cr2O72- 2-
Name Formula Valency
iron(III) Fe3+ 3+ Name Formula Valency
chromium(III) Cr3+ 3+ nitride N3- 3-
phosphate(V) PO43 3-
Name Formula Valency arsenate(V) AsO43- 3-
lead(IV) Pb4+ 4+
4+
tin(IV) Sn 4+

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Symbols and Formula

All elements have symbols as a quick way of writing their names

Some elements are diatomic and two atoms are found in each molecule:

Formula of
Element
Diatomic Molecule
Hydrogen H2
Nitrogen N2
Oxygen O2
Fluorine F2
Chlorine Cl2
Bromine Br2
Iodine I2
Astatine At2

Compounds have a formula that tells you the number and type of atoms in the
molecule. The formula is always in a fixed ratio.

For example, water is H2O which means that water contains hydrogen and oxygen
bonded together. It also means that the H:O ratio is always 2:1.

Working Out Formula

Step 1 - Write down the symbols of each element

Step 2 - Write down the valency of each element (number only, not the +/- sign)
Step 3 - Swap the valencies over
Step 4 - Simplify the numbers if possible (the number 1 is never written)

Example 1: sodium chloride

Step 1 Symbol Na Cl

Step 2 Valency 1 1

Step 3 Swap Na1Cl1

Step 4 Simplify NaCl

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Example 2: magnesium bromide

Step 1 Mg Br

Step 2 2 1

Step 3 Mg1Br2

Step 4 MgBr2

Example 3: potassium oxide

Step 1 K O

Step 2 1 2

Step 3 K2 O 1

Step 4 K2 O

Example 4: calcium sulphide

Step 1 Ca S

Step 2 2 2

Step 3 Ca2S2

Step 4 CaS

Example 5: germanium oxide

Step 1 Ge O

Step 2 4 2

Step 3 Ge2O4

Step 4 GeO2

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Polyatomic Ions

Polyatomic ions made of more than one element, for example SO42 , or CO32 .
These ions need (brackets) if they have a number.

Example 6: calcium hydroxide

Step 1 Ca OH

Step 2 2 1

Step 3 Ca1(OH)2

Step 4 Ca(OH)2

Example 7: magnesium carbonate

Step 1 Mg CO3

Step 2 2 2

Step 3 Mg2(CO3)2

Step 4 MgCO3

Brackets are not needed as there is no other number following

CO3 after being simplified.

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Working Out the Number of Elements Present in Compounds from the Formula

If we have the formula of a compound we can work out the number of different
elements present in the compound by counting the number of different symbols in
the formula.

H2SO4
subscript after each
If no subscript is element tells us the
present then it is number of atoms of that
taken to be one type

So sulphuric acid, H2SO4 has 2 hydrogen atoms, 1 sulphur atom and 4 oxygen
atoms all bonded together in one molecule.

Example 8:

Number of Different Total Number of Atoms in

Formula
Elements Molecule
HCl 2 2
HNO3 3 5
H2SO4 3 7
CuSO4. 5H2O 4 21

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Types of Formula

1. Displayed formula shows all the atoms and bonds in a molecule.

2. Molecular formula of a compound is the number and type of different atoms
in one molecule.
3. Empirical formula of a compound is the simplest whole number ratio of the
different atoms or ions in a compound.

Example 9:

Name of Molecular Empirical

Displayed Formula
Compound Formula Formula

H H
O
H C C C
lactic acid C3H6O3 CH2O
O H
H O H

H2C CH3

CH
H2C CH2
limonene C10H16 C5H8
HC CH2
C

CH3

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Symbol Equations

A chemical equation is balanced when there are equal number of atoms and charges
on both sides of the equation.

Step 1 - Write symbols, or formula for each chemical

Step 2 - Count the number of atoms of each element on the left and on the right
Step 3 - Balance each element by adding either more reagent, or more product.

Example 10: magnesium + hydrochloric magnesium + hydrogen

acid chloride

Step 1 Mg + HCl MgCl2 + H2

Step 2 1 magnesium 1 magnesium

1 hydrogen 2 hydrogen
1 chlorine 2 chlorine

Step 3 Mg + 2 HCl MgCl2 + H2

By adding an extra hydrochloric acid, all of the

atoms now balance.

1 magnesium 1 magnesium
2 hydrogen 2 hydrogen
2 chlorine 2 chlorine

In step 3 we always use numbers before the

symbol, or formula to show how many molecules
there are of that chemical.

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Example 11: methane burning in oxygen to make carbon dioxide and water.

Step 1 CH4 + O2 CO2 + 2H2O

Step 2 1 carbon 1 carbon

4 hydrogen 2 hydrogen
2 oxygen 3 oxygen

Step 3 CH4 + 2O2 CO2 + 2H2O

By adding an extra oxygen and an extra water, all

of the atoms now balance.

1 carbon 1 carbon
4 hydrogen 4 hydrogen
4 oxygen 4 oxygen

Use of Fractions in Equations

Example 12: ethane burning in oxygen to make carbon dioxide and water.

Step 1 C2H6 + O2 CO2 + H2O

Step 2 2 carbon 1 carbon

6 hydrogen 2 hydrogen
2 oxygen 3 oxygen

Step 3 2 C2H6 + 7 O2 4 CO2 + 6 H2O

We can also write the equation like this

C2H6 + 7 2 O2 2 CO2 + 3 H2O

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State Symbols

When writing equations, it is sometimes required to write state symbols after each
compound, or element:

(s) solid
(l) liquid
(g) gas
(aq) aqueous, which means dissolved in water

Ionic Equations

These are equations where the soluble ionic compounds are written with their ions
separated.

Example 13: Write an ionic equation for the displacement / redox / exothermic
reaction between aluminium powder and copper(II) sulphate
solution

Step 1 Write a symbol equation

2Al(s) + 3CuSO4(aq) Al2(SO4)3(aq) + 3Cu(s)

Step 2 Write the equation with all aqueous solutions ionised, or

dissociated. To do this split each aqueous compound into its
ions:

2Al(s) + 3Cu2+(aq) + 3SO42 (aq) 2Al3+(aq) + 3SO42 (aq) + 3Cu(s)

Step 3 Cancel out any species on both sides of the equation

which have not changed their valency, or state of matter. These
are called spectator ions.

2Al(s) + 3Cu2+(aq) + 3SO42 (aq) 2Al3+(aq) + 3SO42 (aq) + 3Cu(s)

Step 4 Write out what is left

2Al(s) + 3Cu2+(aq) 2Al3+(aq) + 3Cu(s)

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Balancing Redox Equations

Example 14: Balance the redox equation

Al + Cu2+ Al3+ + Cu

Step 1 Split the equation into two ionic half-equations - one for
oxidation and one for reduction.

Al Al3+ + 3e

Cu2+ + 2e Cu

Step 2 Balance each half-equation so there are the same number of

electrons in each equation.

2Al 2Al3+ + 6e

3Cu2+ + 6e 3Cu

Step 3 Cancel out the electrons

2Al 2Al3+ + 6e
3Cu2+ + 6e 3Cu

Step 4 Add the two ionic half-equations together

2Al + 3Cu2+ 2Al3+ + 3Cu

You will notice that the total charges are equal on each side of the equation.

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3.2 Relative Masses of Atoms and Molecules

Relative Atomic Mass (Ar)

This is the relative mass of an atom compared to a standard (carbon-12).

mass of one atom of an element

Ar = .
1
12 the mass of one atom of carbon - 12

Relative Molecular Mass (Mr)

This is the relative mass of a compound, or molecule compared to a standard

(carbon-12).

To do this multiply each Ar by the number of that type of atom present and then add
all the masses together.

Example 15: water

Number of Each
Molecule Formula Atoms Present Ar Total Mass
Type of Atom
H 2 1 2
water H2 O
O 1 16 16
Total 18

Mr of water is 18

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Example 16: calcium carbonate

Number of each
Molecule Formula Atoms present Ar Total Mass
type of atom
Ca 1 40 40
calcium
CaCO3 C 1 12 12
carbonate
O 3 16 48
Total 100

Mr of calcium carbonate is 100

Example 17: calcium hydroxide

Number of each
Molecule Formula Atoms present Ar Total Mass
type of atom
Ca 1 40 40
calcium
Ca(OH)2 O 2 16 32
hydroxide
H 2 1 2
Total 74

Mr of calcium hydroxide is 74

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3.3 The Mole and the Avogadro Constant

Moles

It was discovered that if you have 6.02 x 1023 particles of any chemical, then the
mass in grams will be the same as the chemicals mass number (Ar or Mr)

Example 18: Calculate the mass of 6.02 x 1023 particles of calcium.

Calcium has a mass number of 40, so the mass is 40g

Example 19: Calculate the mass of 6.02 x 1023 particles of water.

Water has a mass number of (16 + 1 + 1), so the mass is 18g

The number 6.02 x 1023 is the Avogadro constant.

1 mole = 6.02 x 1023 particles

Using Relative Atomic Mass (Ar)

Ar is the same as the element's mass number and can be found on the Periodic
Table. It has the units g/mol, which just means how many grams there are in 1 mole.

We can use the Ar to work out the mass of one mole of an element. The Ar of sodium
is 23g/mol. So if we wanted to weigh out 1 mole of sodium atoms then we simply
weigh out 23g. This will contain 6.02 x 1023 atoms (Avogadro's constant).

The relative atomic mass (Ar), in grams, of any element contains 1 mole of
atoms.

mass used
Number of moles = mass
relative atomic mass used

mole Ar

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Example 20: How many moles are there in 46g of sodium?

46
Number of moles = = 2 moles of sodium atoms
23

Using Relative Molecular Mass (Mr)

The relative molecular mass (Mr) in grams, of any compound contains 1 mole
of molecules

mass
mass used
Number of moles = used
relative molecular mass

mole Mr

Example 21: How many moles are there in 1.8g of water?

1.8
Number of moles = = 0.1 moles of water molecules
18

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Using the Mass of Reacting Material

This combines using the number of moles formula above, with an equation.

Step 1 Write a balanced equation

Step 2 Find the number of moles of 1 of the chemicals
Step 3 Use the mole ratio to find the number of moles of the other
chemicals
Step 4 Calculate the mass of the other chemicals

Example 22: 20g of sodium hydroxide reacts with an excess of hydrochloric

acid to form sodium chloride and water. Calculate the mass of
salt made.

Step 1 NaOH + HCl NaCl + H2O

20
Step 2 Number of moles NaOH = = 0.5 moles
40

Step 3 1 1 1 1 mole ratio

0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 moles

Step 4 Mass sodium chloride = Mole x Ar

Mass sodium chloride = 0.5 x 58.5 = 29.25g

Example 23: Iron(III) oxide is reduced to iron using carbon monoxide in the
blast furnace. How much iron will be produced from 100g of
iron(III) oxide?

Step 1 Fe2O3 + 3CO 2Fe + 3CO2

100
Step 2 Number of moles Fe2O3 = = 0.625 moles
160

Step 3 1 3 2 3 mole ratio

0.625 1.875 1.25 1.875 moles

Step 4 Mass iron = Mole x Ar

Mass iron = 1.25 x 56 = 70g

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Example 24: Insoluble salts are made by precipitation. An equation for the
preparation of barium sulfate is:

FeSO4(aq) + BaCl2(aq) BaSO4(s) + FeCl2(aq)

This reaction can be used in an experiment to find the value of x

in the formula for hydrated iron(II) sulfate crystals (FeSO4.xH2O)

A known mass of the crystals of hydrated iron (II) sulfate was

dissolved in water. Excess barium chloride solution was added.
The precipitated barium sulfate was filtered, washed and dried.
Finally it was weighed.

Mass of hydrated iron (II) sulfate crystals = 1.390g

Mass of barium sulfate formed = 1.165g

Calculate the value for x in FeSO4.xH2O.

Solution on next page...

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Step 1 FeSO4 + BaCl2 BaSO4 + FeCl2

1.165
Step 2 Number of moles BaSO4 =
233

3
= 5 x10 moles

Step 3 1 1 1 1 mole ratio

3 3 3 3
5 x10 5 x10 5 x10 5 x10 moles

Step 4 rearranging mass FeSO4.xH2O = Mole x Mr

mass used
Mr FeSO4.xH2O =
mole

1.390
Mr FeSO4.xH2O = = 278 g/mol
0.005

And we know that Mr FeSO4 = 152 g/mol

So the mass of water is 278g 152g = 126 g

mass used 126

So Number of moles of water is = = 7
Mr 18

Formula of hydrated iron(II) sulfate is FeSO4.7H2O

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Limiting Reagent

This is used when we have different numbers of moles of reagents. The limiting
reagent will all react (there will be none left after the reaction has finished). The
other reagent will be in excess (there will be some left over after the reaction has
finished).

To calculate the limiting reagent you must calculate the number of moles of each
reagent and use the mole ratio to compare values.

Step 1 Write the equation for the reaction

Step 2 Calculate the number of moles of a reagent
Step 3 Calculate the number of moles of the other reagent
Step 4 Use the mole ratio to compare which reagent has fewer moles -
this is the limiting reagent

Example 25: 10g of calcium carbonate reacts with 29.4g of sulphuric acid.
Which reagent is in excess?

Step 1 CaCO3 + H2SO4 CaSO4 + H2O + CO2

10
Step 2 Number of moles CaCO3 = = 0.1 moles
100

29.4
Step 3 Number of moles H2SO4 = = 0.3 moles
98

Step 4 As the mole ratio is 1:1 then CaCO3 is the limiting

reagent as it has fewer moles

The limiting reagent is used to calculate the number of moles of the other reagents
as it is all used up in the reaction.

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Empirical Formula and Molecular Formula/Ionic Formula

Example 26: Glucose molecular formula C6H12O6

empirical formula CH2O

So glucose, C6H12O6 is made up from 6 empirical units of

CH2O.

To calculate the empirical formula of a compound you must use the following steps:

Step 1 Write down the elements in the compound

Step 2 Write down the % or mass in grams of each element

Step 3 Divide by the Ar to get the ratio of atoms

Step 4 Divide by the smallest number to turn the atom ratio into a whole
number for the formula

And then to calculate the molecular formula you will also need:

Step 5 number of empirical units = molecular mass

empirical mass

Step 6 molecular formula = empirical formula x number of units

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Example 27: A carbohydrate of molar mass 180g/mol contains by weight

40.0% carbon; 6.7% hydrogen and 53.3% oxygen. What is the
empirical formula and molecular formula?

Step 1 carbon hydrogen oxygen

Step 2 40.0 6.7 53.3

40 6 .7 53.3
Step 3
12 1 16

3.3 6.7 3.3

3 .3 6 .7 3 .3
Step 4
3 .3 3.3 3 .3

1 2 1

So the empirical formula = CH2O

with a mass of (12+2+16) = 30

180
Step 5 number of empirical units =
30

Step 6 molecular formula = CH2O x 6

so the molecular mass = C6H12O6

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Example 28: An oxide of vanadium has a mass of 1.274g, which formed from
0.714g of vanadium reacting with oxygen. Calculate the empirical
formula and the ionic formula.

Step 1 vanadium oxygen

Step 2 0.714g (1.274 - 0.714) = 0.56g

0.714 0.56
Step 3
51 16

0.014 0.035

0.014 0.035
Step 4
0.014 0.014

1 2.5

As the empirical formula must be whole numbers, we must

double the ratio
2 5

So the empirical formula = V2O5

For ionic compounds the ionic formula = empirical formula

So the ionic formula = V2O5

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Mole Calculations for Gases

1 mole of any gas occupies a volume of 24dm3 at a temperature of 25oC and a

pressure of one atmosphere (this is at r.t.p. - room temperature and pressure).

If the question gives the volume of gas in dm3:

volume of gas (dm 3 ) volume

number of moles of gas = (dm3)
24

mole 24
If the question gives the volume of gas in cm3:

Gas volume conversion 1dm3 = 1000cm3

volume of gas (cm3 )

number of moles of gas =
24000

Example 29: Find the number of moles there are of ammonia gas at r.t.p. in a
200cm3 gas jar.

200
number of moles =
24000

= 0.00833 moles of ammonia gas

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Example 30: A 10cm3 sample of alkene gas X needed 45cm3 of O2 for

complete combustion and 30cm3 of CO2 were produced. By
completing the following equation, work out the formula of gas
X, which is a hydrocarbon.

Because 1 mole of any gas at room temperature and pressure

(r.t.p.) occupies a volume of 24dm3, we can compare volumes
of gas without having to calculate the number of moles.

2 2 2O

10 cm3 45 cm3 30 cm3

Using the volumes to balance the equation gives us

½ O2 3 CO2 + .....H2O

We know that there are 3 carbons in the hydrocarbon, and using

the alkene general formula CnH2n we also know there are 6
hydrogens

So the formula of the hydrocarbon is C3H6

To balance the water in the equation - there are 9 oxygens on

the left (from O2) and 6 oxygens on the right (from CO2) so 3
more oxygens are needed on the right, which means that to
balance the equation we need 3 H2O

C3H6 + 4½ O2 3 CO2 + 3 H2O

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Mole Calculations for Solutions

Molar concentration (molarity) is measured in mol/dm3

Mass concentration (molality) is measured in g/dm3

This can be used to work out the Mr of a solute:

mass concentration
Mr =
molar concentration

Or the number of moles in a solution:

Number of moles = volume of solution (in dm3) x molar concentration

volume of solution (cm3 )

Number of moles = x molar concentration
1000

mole

volume conc
(dm3)

To calculate the concentration of a solution in a reaction you must use the following
steps:

Step 1 Write down the chemical equation

Step 2 Write down the mole ratio
Step 3 Calculate the number of moles of reagent
Step 4 Use the mole ratio to calculate the number of moles of the other
reagent
Step 5 Calculate the concentration of the other reagent

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Example 31: 25.0cm3 of hydrochloric acid is neutralised by 30.0cm3 of a

solution of sodium hydroxide of concentration 0.25mol/dm3. Find
the concentration of the hydrochloric acid.

Step 1 HCl + NaOH NaCl + H2O

Step 2 1 1 1 1

volume
Step 3 Moles NaOH = x concentration
1000

30.0
Moles NaOH = x 0.25
1000

3
= 7.5 x 10 moles

3
Step 4 Moles HCl = 7.5 x 10 moles

3
mole 7.5 x 10
Step 5 Concentration HCl = =
volume 0.025

Concentration HCl = 0.3mol/dm3

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Percentage Yield

The percentage yield of a product is the percentage of its theoretical yield achieved
in practice.

The theoretical yield of a product is the maximum calculated mass that can be
obtained from a given mass of specified reactant.

mass produced
Percentage yield = x 100%
theoretical yield

Step 1 Write the equation

Step 2 Calculate the number of moles of reagent
Step 3 Use the mole ratio to work out the number of moles of the other
chemicals
Step 4 Calculate the theoretical mass of product
Step 5 Calculate the percentage yield

Example 32: Copper(II) sulfate-5-water was prepared by the following

reactions.

CuO + H2SO4 CuSO4 + H2O

CuSO4 + 5H2O CuSO4.5H2O

In an experiment, 25cm3 of 2.0mol/dm3 sulfuric acid was

neutralised with an excess of copper(II) oxide. The yield of
crystals, CuSO4.5H2O, was 7.3g. Calculate the percentage yield.

Step 1 CuO + H2SO4 CuSO4 + H2O

CuSO4 + 5H2O CuSO4.5H2O

Step 2 Number of mole of H2SO4 = 0.025 x 2.0

= 0.05 mol

Step 3 1 1 1 1
0.05 mol 0.05 mol 0.05 mol 0.05 mol

Step 4 Theoretical mass CuSO4.5H2O = 0.05 x 250

= 12.5 g

7.3
Step 5 Percentage yield = x 100 = 58.4%
12.5

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Percentage Purity

The percentage purity of a reactant is the actual mass reacted divided by the initial
mass used expressed as a percentage.

Percentage purity is used when a reagent is impure. It contains impurities that do not
react.

actual mass (pure) reacted

Percentage purity = x 100%
initial mass (impure) used

Example 33: An excess (more than is needed) of hydrochloric acid was

added to 1.570g of impure barium carbonate. The volume of
carbon dioxide gas collected was 0.120dm3. The impurities did
not react with the acid. Calculate the percentage purity of the
barium carbonate. Molar gas volume at r.t.p. is 24dm3

Step 1 2HCl + BaCO3 BaCl2 + H2O + CO2

0.120 3
Step 2 moles of CO2 = = 5 x 10 moles
24

Step 3 2 1 1 1 1
2 3 3 3 3
1x10 5x10 5x10 5x10 5x10

3
Step 4 actual mass BaCO3 = 5 x 10 x 197 = 0.985 g

0.985
Step 5 Percentage purity = x 100
1.570

= 62.7% pure

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