Calculating with Moles

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What is percentage by mass?
The percentage by mass of an element in a compound is
sometimes known as the percentage composition.

Percentage by mass is a means of expressing the amount of

a compound that is composed of a given element.

Like all percentages, it is calculated by dividing a quantity

by the total amount, then multiplying by 100.

The calculation uses relative atomic mass (RAM) and

relative formula mass (RFM):

RAM of element × number of atoms

% element = × 100
RFM of compound

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Calculating percentage by mass – example 1

What percentage by mass of nitrogen is in ammonia (NH3)?

(RAM: H = 1, N = 14)
Step 1: Work out the relative formula mass of NH3.

RFM of NH3 = 1 nitrogen atom + 3 hydrogen atoms

= (1 × 14) + (3 × 1)
= 17

Step 2: Work out the percentage by mass of nitrogen.

% nitrogen RAM × number of atoms

= × 100
in NH3 RFM of compound
(14 × 1)
= × 100
17
= 82%
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Calculating percentage by mass – example 2

What percentage by mass of hydrogen is in ammonia (NH3)?

(RAM: H = 1, N = 14)
Step 1: Work out the relative formula mass of NH3.

RFM of NH3 = 1 nitrogen atom + 3 hydrogen atoms

= (1 × 14) + (3 × 1)
= 17

Step 2: Work out the percentage by mass of hydrogen.

% hydrogen RAM × number of atoms

= × 100
in NH3 RFM of compound
(1 × 3)
= × 100
17
= 18%
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How much oxygen?

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How much nitrogen?

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Comparing fertilizers

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Which fertilizer is the best?

fertilizer compound % nitrogen

MEGA pumpkin NH4NO3 35
Supergro (NH4)2SO4 21
Plant-B-big CON2H4 47

‘Plant-B-big’, which contains urea, has

the highest percentage of nitrogen.

So, if my uncle puts the same amount

of each fertilizer on his pumpkins,
‘Plant-B-big’ will provide the most nitrogen.

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What is an empirical formula?
The empirical formula of a compound is the simplest
whole number ratio of the types of atoms in one molecule.

It is found by dividing the chemical formula of a compound

until it has been reduced to its simplest whole number form.

Ethane has the molecular

formula C2H6.

The simplest whole number ratio

of this formula can be found by
dividing this formula by 2.

ethane: C2H6 The empirical formula of ethane

CH3.
is therefore ____

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Finding the empirical formula

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Empirical formulae from masses

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Using percentage composition
A similar method can be used to calculate the empirical
formula using percentage composition:
Calculate the empirical formula of a substance containing
50% sulfur and 50% oxygen by mass.
Step 1: divide the given percentages by the RAM of
each element:
50 50
sulfur = = 1.56 oxygen = = 3.125
32 16
Step 2: find the simplest whole number ratio:
1.56 3.125
sulfur = =1 oxygen = =2
1.56 1.56
This compound has the empirical formula SO2.

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Calculating empirical formulae

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Does mass change during a reaction?

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Why doesn’t the mass change?
In a chemical reaction, no atoms are made or destroyed.

The reaction just changes how the atoms are

bonded together.

The total mass of reactants at the start of a reaction is equal

to the total mass of the products at the end. This is called
the principle of conservation of mass.

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Limiting reactants
The amount of product formed in a reaction will depend on
the limiting reactant. This is the reactant that runs out first,
bringing the reaction to an end.
time (s) volume H2 (cm3)
The other reactant(s) are said to be
0 0
‘in excess’. This means that there 150
30
will be some left after the reaction. 60 300
This table shows hydrogen gas 90 450
production during a reaction 120 600
between a small amount of 150 700
180 780
magnesium and excess dilute
210 850
hydrochloric acid.
240 895
After how many seconds was all 270 910
the magnesium used up? 300 910

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Reacting masses
If 28 g of iron reacts with excess copper sulfate solution,
what mass of copper will be made?

Two different methods can be used to

answer this question:

1. using relative atomic mass and ratios

2

2. using mole calculations.

2

Remember:

mass of substance
number of moles =
molar mass

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Using relative atomic mass
Working out reacting masses using relative atomic mass:

Step 1: Write a balanced equation for the reaction.

Step 2: Write down the relative atomic/formula

masses of the reactants and products.

Step 3: Use the balanced equation to write down the

ratios of reactants and products.

Step 4: Convert this into a ratio of reacting masses.

Step 5: Calculate the scale factor and apply this to

the ratio of reacting masses.

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Using RAM: worked example
If 28 g of iron reacts with excess copper sulfate solution,
what mass of copper will be made?
Step 1: Write a balanced equation for the reaction:
Fe + CuSO4  Cu + FeSO4
Step 2: Write down the relevant RAM:
Fe = 56, Cu = 64
Step 3: Write down the ratio of reactants and products.
Fe:Cu = 1:1
Step 4: Convert to ratio of reacting masses.
Fe:Cu = 1:1 = 56 g:64 g
Step 5: Calculate the scale factor and apply this to the
ratio of reacting masses.
scale factor = 28 g ÷ 56 g = 0.5
mass of Cu made = 64 g × 0.5 = 32 g of Cu
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Using moles
Working out reacting masses using moles:

Step 1: Write a balanced equation for the reaction.

Step 2: Turn the given mass value into the number of moles.
Step 3: Use the balanced equation to work out the number
of moles of the unknown substance.
Step 4: Convert moles into mass
using the rearranged formula: mass

mass = moles × molar mass

molar
moles mass

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Using moles: worked example
If 28 g of iron reacts with excess copper sulfate solution,
what mass of copper will be made?
Step 1: Write a balanced equation for the reaction:
Fe + CuSO4  Cu + FeSO4
Step 2: Turn the mass of iron into moles of iron:
mass 28
moles = = = 0.5 moles of iron
molar mass 56
Step 3: Use the balanced equation to work out how many
moles of copper should be made:
1 mole of Fe makes 1 mole of Cu
Step 4: Convert moles of copper into mass of copper:
mass = moles × RAM = 0.5 × 64 = 32 g of Cu
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Reacting masses and scale factors

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Using moles in calculations

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Glossary

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Multiple-choice quiz

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