Mass percent composition of compounds

Another way to express how much of an element is in a given compound is to use the element s mass percent composition for that compound. The mass percent composition or simply mass percent of an element is the element s percentage of the total mass of the compound. For example, the mass percent composition of sodium in sodium chloride is 39%. This information tells us that a 100-g sample of sodium chloride contains 39 g of sodium. The mass percent composition for a compound can be determined from experimental data using the formula [Pg.180]

Mass of X in a sample of the compound Mass of the sample of the compound [Pg.180]

For example, suppose a 0.358-g sample of chromium reacts with oxygen to form 0.523 g of the metal oxide. Then the mass percent of chromium is [Pg.180]

We can use mass percent composition as a conversion factor between grams of a constituent element and grams of the compoxmd. For example, we just saw that the mass percent composition of sodium in sodium chloride is 39%. This can be written as [Pg.180]

These fractions are conversion factors between g Na and g NaQ, as shown in Example 6.8. [Pg.180]

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