Molecular mass, per cent composition, empirical formula, balance of equations

Empirical formula: the quantitative ratios among the atoms in a substance.

Molecular formula: the actual number of atoms in the molecule.
Example: the molecular formula of acetic acid is C2H4O2, and its empirical formula is CH2O.

1. A sample of aluminium weighs 700 mg. Calculate the number of moles.

2. Calculate the number of moles and how many molecules are present in 1.45 mg of methane
(CH4).

3. How many grams correspond to 2.15 mol of KOH?

4. An alloy containing 0.80% (m/m) of nickel has a density of 7.30 g/mL. Calculate how many
nickel atoms can be found in 10 mL of this alloy.

5. Calculate how many moles of water, sodium, carbon and oxygen are respectively present in
25.44 g of Na2CO3 · 10 H2O.

6. Calculate the respective mass of each element in a sample of 1.48 mol of H3PO4.

7. Calculate the respective mass of each element in a sample of 2.48 mol of K2Cr2O7.

8. Calculate how many grams of each element can be found in 4.37 g of Na2SO4.

9. Calculate the n° of moles and the mass of carbon that are needed to produce 1˙000 Kg of CO2.

10. 100 g of a saline solution contain 15.0 g of NaCl. Calculate the number of moles and the
masses of Na+ and Cl- that are contained in 1.00 g of solution.

11. Calculate the per cent composition (in mass) of aluminium phosphate and sodium dichromate.

12. Calculate the mass percentage of water in Na2CO3 · 10 H2O.

13. Calculate the mass of carbon in 275 g di CO2.

14. A chemical compound has the following per cent composition: C, 66.7%; H, 7.41%; N,
25.9%. Calculate its empirical formula.
15. A chemical compound has the following per cent composition: Cr,
32.81%; Cl, 67.19%. Calculate its empirical formula.

16. 1.75 g of a compound composed only of bismuth and oxygen contain

1.57 g of bismuth. Calculate its empirical formula.

17. In homoeopathy, arsenicum album is a solution prepared by repeatedly

diluting aqueous arsenic trioxide (AsO3) with water and is indicated
against food poisoning. The commonly employed concentration “30C”
means “30 centesimal dilutions”, indicating that the original solution has
been 30 folds diluted 1:100. Assuming to start from a 2.10 % (m/m) solution, which
corresponds to the maximum solubility of AsO3 in water, how many As atoms can be found
in an Olympic swimming pool (2˙500˙000 L) filled with a 30C solution (considering its
density as 1.00 kg/L)?

18. Balance the following chemical equations:

a) Ca(OH)2 + H3PO4 → Ca3(PO4)2 + H2O

b) (NH4)2CO3 + Ba(OH)2 → BaCO3 + NH3 + H2O
c) K2CrO4 + H2SO4 → K2Cr2O7 + K2SO4 + H2O
d) BaCO3 + HNO3 → Ba(NO3)2 + CO2 + H2O
e) Pb(NO3)2 + KOH → PbO + KNO3 + H2O
f) Li2SO4 + AlCl3 → Al2(SO4)3 + LiCl
g) Al2O3 + OH- + H2O → Al(OH)4-
h) CrO42- + H+ → Cr2O72- + H2O

19. Calculate the mass of nitric acid (HNO3) necessary to react with 250 g of iron(III) oxide and the
amount of iron(III) nitrate that is produced in the reaction:
Fe2O3 + HNO3 → Fe(NO3)3 + H2O

20. Barium sulfate can be obtained through the reaction between BaCl2 and Na2SO4 according to
the following equation:
BaCl2 + Na2SO4 → BaSO4 + NaCl
Calculate the amount of sodium sulfate reacting with 135.5 g of barium chloride and the
maximum mass of barium sulfate that may be obtained.

21. Phosphorous (P4) is prepared by reacting calcium phosphate with silica and carbon, according
to the following process:
Ca3(PO4)2 + SiO2 + C → P4 + CaSiO3 + CO
Calculate the minimum amount of calcium phosphate needed to obtain 90.5 g of P4. Moreover,
estimate the mass of CaSiO3 obtained at the end of the reaction.
Limiting Reagent

The limiting reagent in a chemical reaction is the substance that is totally consumed when the
chemical reaction is complete. The amount of product formed is limited by this reagent, since the
reaction cannot proceed without it. If one or more other reagents are present in quantities greater than
those needed to react with the limiting reagent, they are described as excess reagents.

22. Nitrogen monoxide is believed to be one of the main responsibles for the depletion of the ozone
layer through the following reaction:
O3 + NO → O2 + NO2
If 0.740 g of O3 are reacted with 0.670 g of NO, calculate the mass of NO2 that is produced,
which is the excess reagent and how much is left of it after the reaction.

23. For the reaction CaCO3 + HCl → CaC12 + CO2 + H2O, 68.1 g solid CaCO3 is mixed with
41.6 g HCl. What mass of CO2 will be produced?

24. Write a balanced chemical equation for the combustion of propane (C3H8). How many g of CO2
are produced after the complete combustion of 3.65 mol of propane? [“complete combustion”
implies that oxygen is the excess reagent]

25. 10.0 g of iron are reacted with 10.0 g of sulfur to produce iron(III) sulfide. Assuming the
reaction is complete, how many grams of the product are obtained?

26. The complete combustion of a 34.8 mg sample of benzaldehyde produced 101 mg of CO2 and
17.7 mg of H2O.
a. What was the mass of carbon and hydrogen in the sample?
b. Assuming that the original sample contained only carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen, what
was the mass of oxygen in the sample?
c. What was the mass percentage of oxygen in the sample?
d. What is the empirical formula of benzaldehyde?
e. The molar mass of benzaldehyde is 106.12 g/mol. What is its molecular formula?

27. 2.00 g of ammonia (NH3) are reacted with 4.00 g of oxygen (O2) yielding water and nitrogen
monoxide (NO). Which is the limiting reagent and how much excess reagent is present at the
end of the reaction?

28. Zinc reacts with hydrochloric acid according to the following chemical equation:
Zn + HCl → ZnCl2 + H2
How many moles of hydrogen are produced from 19.6 g of zinc powder and 74.3 mL of a HCl
solution whose concentration is 7.00 mol/L? How many moles of the excess reagent are left
after the reaction?
29. After a combustion process in lack of oxygen, 0.420 mol di CO2 were formed and 2.77 g di n-
octane (C8H18) are left. Calculate the respective masses of oxygen and n-octane before the
combustion.

30. Given the reaction: 2 H2 + O2 → 2 H2O. If you have 5.00 grams of hydrogen and 8.00 grams
of oxygen, determine the limiting reagent and the mass of the excess reagent remaining after
the reaction

31. Silver nitrate (AgNO3) reacts with sodium chloride (NaCl) to produce silver chloride (AgCl)
and sodium nitrate (NaNO3). If 10.0 grams of AgNO3 react with 12.0 grams of NaCl, identify
the limiting reagent and calculate the mass of silver chloride at the end of the reaction.
Reaction yield

The percentage yield, which serves to measure the effectiveness of a synthetic procedure, is
calculated by dividing the amount of the obtained desired product by the theoretical yield. The
theoretical yield is the amount predicted by a stoichiometric calculation based on the number of moles
of all reactants present. This calculation assumes that only one reaction occurs and that the limiting
reagent reacts completely.

32. Nitroglycerine is a powerful explosive decomposing in gaseous products according to the

following reaction:
C3H5N3O9 → N2 + CO2 + H2O + O2
After the explosion of 200 g of nitroglycerine, 6.55 g of oxygen are obtained. Calculate the
reaction yield.

33. The synthesis of a pharmaceutical product is carried out in 30 consecutive steps, where the
product of each reaction is used as the starting material for the successive passage. If every
reaction has a 90.0 % yield, calculate the overall yield of the process.

34. Benzene reacts with molecular chlorine according to the reaction:

C6H6 + Cl2 → C6H5Cl + HCl
Assuming that this reaction occurs with a 65.0% yield, calculate how much benzene is needed
for the preparation of 100 g of chlorobenzene (C6H5Cl).

35. The Ostwald process allows the preparation of nitric acid (HNO3) through consecutive
oxidations of ammonia. The involved reactions are:
(a) 4 NH3 + 5 O2 → 4 NO + 6 H2O
(b) 2 NO + O2 → 2 NO2
(c) 2 NO2 + H2O → HNO3 + HNO2
The reactions (a), (b) e (c) have yields of 85.0%, 80.0% e 95.0%, respectively. Calculate how
much ammonia is needed to prepare 1˙000 kg of nitric acid.

36. 5.00 g of Rb is combined with 3.44 g of MgCl2 according to this chemical reaction:
Rb + MgCl2 → RbCl + Mg
What mass of Mg is formed, and what mass of which reactant is left over?
The ideal gas law

An ideal gas is a theoretical gas possessing the following characteristics:

• It is composed of point particles;
• There is no interaction between the particles;
• The particles are randomly moving, with perfectly elastic collisions.
Generally, a real gas behaves more like an ideal gas at higher temperature and lower pressure,
especially if composed of particles with scarce mutual interactions.

Ideal gas law: 𝑝𝑝 𝑉𝑉 = 𝑛𝑛 𝑅𝑅 𝑇𝑇

p is the pressure, V is the volume, n is the amount of substance in moles, T is the absolute temperature
in K, R is the gas constant. Its value depends on the units of measurement employed for the other
quantities: the most common values are 0.0821 L atm K-1 mol-1 and 8.314 J K-1 mol-1.
p may be expressed in atm, mmHg, Torr (1 atm = 760 mmHg = 760 Torr), bar (1 atm = 1.013 bar).

Molar volume: 22.4 L at STP (Standard Temperature and Pressure: 273 K, 1 bar)
24.0 L at NTP (Normal Temperature and Pressure: 293 K, 1 atm)

Mole fraction: the amount of a constituent (expressed in moles), ni divided by the total amount of all
constituents in a mixture (also expressed in moles), ntot..
𝑛𝑛
𝜒𝜒𝑖𝑖 = 𝑖𝑖 ∑ 𝑛𝑛𝑖𝑖 = 𝑛𝑛𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡 ∑ 𝜒𝜒𝑖𝑖 = 1
𝑛𝑛𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡

Partial pressure: In a mixture of gases, each constituent gas has a partial pressure, which is the
nominal pressure of that gas if it alone occupied the entire volume of the original mixture at the
same temperature. The total pressure of an ideal gas mixture is the sum of the partial pressures of the
gases in the mixture (Dalton’s law).
𝑝𝑝𝑖𝑖 = 𝜒𝜒𝑖𝑖 𝑝𝑝𝑡𝑡𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜 ∑ 𝑝𝑝𝑖𝑖 = 𝑝𝑝𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡

37. A halogen lamp has a glass bulb whose volume is 2.50 mL and which contains 1.20 mg of I2
vapours. Calculate the internal pressure when the lamp is off (T = 20.0°C) and when is switched
on (T = 300°C).

38. A 9.41L car tire is filled with compressed air to a 2.50 atm pressure at 22.0°C. Calculate the
internal pressure (in atm) which is reached when, at 160 km/h speed, a temperature of 37.0°C
is reached.

39. Calculate the number of molecules that are present in 1.00 L of a gas kept at 70.0°C of
temperature and 2.50 torr of pressure.

40. A 750 mL bottle kept at 37.0°C contains methane at 950 mmHg of pressure. Calculate the mass
of the gas.
41. Calculate the molar mass of a liquid knowing that, a sample of 0.130 g, completely vaporized,
at 130°C and at a pressure of 350 torr, occupies a volume of 123 mL.

42. Calculate the molar mass of a gaseous substance knowing that, at 40.0°C and 1.20 atm, has a
density of 3.31 g/L.

43. 25.5 g of nitrogen are kept in a 15.7 L rigid container, and an aliquot of benzene (l, C6H6) is
subsequently introduced. The container is heated to 122°C: at this T, benzene is completely
vaporised. Knowing that in these conditions the overall pressure is 2.26 atm, calculate the mass
of the benzene aliquot and the partial pressures of the two gases.

44. A gaseous mixture consists of 30% methane, 40% hydrogen and an inert gas. Which is the
theoretical volume of air, measured at 1.00 atm and 80°C, needed for the complete combustion
of 5.00 m3 of the mixture? Consider air as composed of 20% oxygen.

45. A gaseous hydrocarbon (whose general formula is CxHy) is introduced in a reactor kept at 400
K whose volume is 50.8 L; in these conditions, a pressure of 3.40 atm is measured. The
hydrocarbon is burnt in excess of oxygen: 94.7 g H2O and 436.2 g CO2 are produced. Determine
the molecular formula of the hydrocarbon.
SOLUTIONS TO EXERCISES

1. n(Al) = 25.9 mmol

2. n(CH4) = 90.6 µmol corresponding to 5.46 1019 molecules

3. m(Al) = 121 g

4. There are 5.99 1021 Ni atoms

5. n(H2O) = 890 mmol n(Na) = 178 mmol n(C) = 89,0 mmol n(O) = 1,16 mol

6. m(H) = 4.48 g m(P) = 45.9 g m(O) = 94.7 g

7. m(K) = 194 g m(Cr) = 258 g m(O) = 278 g

8. m(Na) = 1.42 g m(S) = 0.987 g m(O) = 1.97 g

9. n(C) = 22.7 kmol m(C) = 272 kg

10. n(Na+) = n(Cl-) = 2.56 mmol m(Na+) = 58,9 mg m(Cl-) = 90,9 mg

11. 22.1% Al; 25.4% P; 52.5% O

17.6% Na 39.7% Cr 42.8% O

12. %m(H2O) = 62.9 %

13. M (C ) = 75.0 g

14. C3H4N

15. CrCl3

16. Bi2O3

17. There is not any As atom left (the numerical result is 2.58 10-31 atoms).

18. Balanced reactions:

a) 3Ca(OH)2 + 2 H3PO4 → Ca3(PO4)2 + 6 H2O
b) (NH4)2CO3 + Ba(OH)2 → BaCO3 + 2 NH3 + 2 H2O
c) 2 K2CrO4 + H2SO4 → K2Cr2O7 + K2SO4 + H2O
d) BaCO3 + 2 HNO3 → Ba(NO3)2 + CO2 + H2O
e) Pb(NO3)2 + 2 KOH → PbO + 2 KNO3 + H2O
f) 3 Li2SO4 + 2 AlCl3 → Al2(SO4)3 + 6 LiCl
g) Al2O3 + 2 OH- + 3 H2O → 2 Al(OH)4-
h) 2 CrO42- + 2 H+ → Cr2O72- + H2O
19. m(HNO3) = 590 g m(Fe(NO3)3) = 755 g

20. m(Na2SO4) = 92.41 g m(BaSO4) = 151.9 g

21. m(Ca3(PO4)2) = 453 g m(CaSiO3) = 508 g

22. m(NO2) = 708 mg; m(NO) = 207 mg

23. m(CO2) = 25.1 g

24. C3H8 + 5 O2 → 3 CO2 + 4 H2O; m(CO2) = 484 g

25. m(Fe3S2) = 18.6 g

26.
a. m(C) = 27.6 mg m(H) = 1.99 mg
b. m(O) = 5.21 mg
c. %(O) = 15.0 %
d. C7H6O
e. C7H6O

27. 4 NH3 + 5 O2 → 4 NO + 6 H2O; O2 is the limiting reagent; m(NH3)f = 306 mg

28. mol (H2)f = 260 mmol mol (Zn)f = 40 mmol

29. 2 C8H18 + 25 O2 → 16 CO2 + 18 H2O; m(C8H18)i = 8.76 g; m(O2)i = 21.0 g

30. m(H2)f: 4.00 g

31. AgNO3 is the limiting reagent

m(AgCl)f: 8.44 g

32. 4 C3H5N3O9 → 6 N2 + 12 CO2 + 10 H2O + O2 Y = 93.0%

33. Ytot = 4.24 %

34. m(C6H6)i = 107 g

35. m(NH3)i = 837 kg

36. m(Mg) = 711 mg m(MgCl2) = 0.66 g

37. poff = 0.0454 atm pon = 0.0888 atm

38. p = 2.60 atm

39. n° mol. = 7.04 1019

40. m(gas) = 590 mg

41. MM = 75.0 g mol-1

42. MM = 70.9 g mol-1

43. m(C6H6) = 14.4 g p(N2) = 1.88 atm p(C6H6) = 0.377 atm

44. V(air) = 20.000 L

45. C2H2