This chemistry question involves key chemical concepts and calculations. The detailed solution below walks through each step, from identifying the reaction type to computing the final answer.
To find the empirical formula of a compound, we follow these steps:

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Here's how to determine the formula of the hydrated salt.
To find the empirical formula of a compound, we follow these steps:
- Assume a 100 g sample, so the percentages become masses in grams.
- Convert the mass of each element and water to moles using their respective molar masses.
- Divide the moles of each component by the smallest number of moles to find the simplest whole-number ratio.
- Write the formula based on these ratios.
Given percentages by mass: Iron (Fe) = 20.2% Sulphur (S) = 11.5% Oxygen (O) = 23.0% Water () = 45.3%
Given relative atomic masses: Fe = 56 S = 32 O = 16 H = 1
Step 1: Assume a 100 g sample. Mass of Fe = 20.2 g Mass of S = 11.5 g Mass of O = 23.0 g Mass of = 45.3 g
Step 2: Calculate the moles of each component. Molar mass of Fe = 56 g/mol Molar mass of S = 32 g/mol Molar mass of O = 16 g/mol Molar mass of
Moles of Fe Moles of S Moles of O Moles of
Step 3: Divide by the smallest number of moles to find the simplest ratio. The smallest number of moles among Fe, S, and O is approximately 0.36. We will use the moles of S (0.3594 mol) as the smallest for the anhydrous part.
Ratio for Fe: Ratio for S: Ratio for O:
This gives the anhydrous part of the formula as .
Now, we find the ratio of water molecules to the anhydrous salt. We use the moles of (which is 0.3594 mol, based on the 1:1 ratio of Fe and S).
Ratio for :
Step 4: Write the formula of the hydrated salt. The ratio of to is 1:7.
The formula of the hydrated salt is .
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Here's how to determine the formula of the hydrated salt. To find the empirical formula of a compound, we follow these steps: 1.