PERCENTAGE COMPOSITION

Just like any percentage problems you are comparing the part to the whole. In chemistry,
percentage composition is based on mass, not on numbers of atoms present.

For Example, if I have 5 pieces of fruit in a dish and 2 of the pieces of fruit are bananas, what
percentage of the fruit in the dish is bananas?

We are going to find the percentage BY MASS of certain elements in a compound by

comparing the mass of the element to the mass of the entire compound.

STEPS: To find percentage composition:

1. write a correct formula for the compound in the question
2. find the molar mass of the entire compound
3. divide the total mass of the element whose percentage you are looking for by the
total mass of the entire compound. (Multiply the result by 100 to convert it to %)
4. express your answer to 1 decimal place and add the % sign as the label

Let’s try a few examples:

1) sodium bromide % Na ______

% Br ______

________________________________________________________________

2) aluminum acetate % Al ______

% C ______

% H ______

% O ______

________________________________________________________________

3) ammonium sulfite % N ______

% H ______

% S ______

% O ______
Percent by Mass of Sugar in Gum

1. Mass a piece of gum and record it in the data table.

2. Remove the sugar from the gum (hint: sugar is soluble in water and saliva)
3. Measure the mass of the gum with no sugar and record it in the data table.
4. Calculate the mass of the sugar that you removed and record.
5. Calculate the percent of the original mass that was sugar and record.
6. Use the nutrition facts label to calculate the percent sugar by mass that is reported by the manufacturer,
and record that value on your data table.
7. Compare the reported value with yours – circle the greater percentage in your data table.
8. Calculate the number of molecules of sugar (C12H22O11) and record it in your data table.

mass with no mass of sugar percent sugar mfr. reported molecules of

original mass
sugar removed by mass percent sugar sugar

Space for calculations:

Homework: Percent Composition

Calculate the percent by mass of the following:

carbon and hydrogen in propane aluminum and chlorine in aluminum chloride

sulfur and oxygen in sulfur dioxide carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen in C6H12O6
barium, nitrogen, and oxygen in barium nitrate hydrogen, sulfur, and oxygen in sulfuric acid
 Empirical Formula vs Molecular Formula

An empirical formula is one which is written in its very lowest terms - it does not necessarily give the
exact number of atoms of everything present, but rather the RATIO of the atoms present.)

 For example, C6H12O6 has six carbons, twelve hydrogens and six oxygens. So we could
write the formula like this: C1H2O1 (or CH2O).

Contrast the above definition to this one for molecular formula: the formula’s subscripts give the
actual number of each element in the formula

 C6H12O6 is the molecular formula because it shows exactly how many atoms of each element
are present

Here are some examples:

Molecular Formula Empirical Formula

C6H12O6 CH2O
CH3COOH CH2O
N2 O6 NO3
C4H8 CH2
NaNO3 NaNO3

Notice three things:

1. The molecular formula and the empirical formula can be identical.

2. Some compounds can have the same empirical formula but different molecular formula.
3. You scale up from the empirical formula to the molecular formula by a whole number factor.
 what whole numbers apply to the chart above?

2 types of problems need to be solved with empirical formulas.

1. Using percent composition to find empirical formula

2. Using Empirical formula and molar mass to find molecular formula

1. Using percent composition to find empirical formula
Here’s a basic rhyme that might help:

Percent to mass
Mass to mole
Divide by small
Multiply 'til whole

Here's an example of how it works:

Problem: A compound consists of 72.2% magnesium and 27.8% nitrogen. Find the empirical formula.

(1) Percent to mass:

Assume 100 g of the substance, so…

(2) Mass to moles:

1-step conversions:

(3) Divide by small: make sure you divide ALL answers from #2 by the smallest value.

(4) Multiply 'til whole: multiply ALL values from #3 by the same factor. This factor is selected so
as to produce ALL whole numbers as answers. Often this factor is chosen by trial-and-error.

PRACTICE: What’s the empirical formula of a molecule containing 18.7% lithium, 16.3% carbon, and 65.0%
oxygen?
2. Using Empirical formula and molar mass to find molecular formula
Here's an example of how it works. A compound with an empirical formula of C4H4O has a molar mass of 136
g/mol:

1) Calculate the "empirical formula mass”: add up the molar mass of the empirical formula .

2) Divide the molar mass by the empirical formula mass to get a whole number factor

3) Multiply the subscripts of the empirical formula by the factor just computed.

Practice: What is the molecular formula of a compound with an empirical formula of C2H8N and a molar mass
of 138 g/mol?