Chemical Formula Relationships

Chapter 7

Outline of material covered in Chem23/25

Introduction / Key Concepts:

Matter and energy

Measurement and chemical calculations

Atoms
Atomic theory: The nuclear model of the atom
Nuclear chemistry
The quantum model of the atom
Chemical bonding

Molecules, the language and math of chemical

structures and reactions
Chemical nomenclature, writing formulas
Describing chemical reactions
Structure and shape

Molecular Formula (recap)

Formula of a chemical or a molecule

List of elements it contains, with amounts of each

Glucose (a sugar)
Molecular Formula = C6H12O6
6 atoms carbon, C
12 atoms hydrogen, H
6 atoms oxygen, O

Atomic mass

The average mass of the atoms of an element as they

occur in nature

Atomic mass units, amu

1 amu = 1/12th the mass of one carbon-12 atom

12
6

The mass of an electron is very small so more than 99.9% of

the mass of the carbon-12 atom are the 6 protons and 6
neutrons (about the same mass)
1 amu the weight of one subatomic particle (neutron or
proton)
1 amu = 1.66 x 1024 g (a very small number!)

Molecular Formula
We learned how to figure out the molecular formula in
the last lecture
eg copper(II) sulfate
copper(II) is Cu2+
sulfate is SO42copper(II) sulfate is CuSO4
1 copper atom
1 sulfur atom
4 oxygen atoms

Formula mass
copper(II) sulfate is CuSO4
1 copper atom
1 sulfur atom
4 oxygen atoms
1 molecule of copper(II) sulfate weighs

(1 x 63.546) + (1 x 32.066) + (4 x 15.9994) = 159.6096 amu

x 1.66 x 1024 g/amu

2.65 x 10-22 g

Example

What is the formula mass of calcium phosphate?

Calcium ion: Ca2+

Phosphate ion: PO43

Calcium phosphate: Ca3(PO4)2

Ca

3 x 40.08 amu = 120.24 amu

2 x 30.97 amu = 61.94 amu

8 x 16.00 amu = 128.00 amu

Ca3(PO4)2

310.18 amu

How not to do chemistry

1 g Cu + 1 g H2SO4 2 g CuSO4 ? No!

In the first lecture we defined chemistry as the study of matter at

the particulate level - atoms and molecules
To understand a chemical change, a chemical reaction, or a
chemical property, we need to know how many atoms and
molecules are involved
1 molecule of Cu reacts with 1 molecule of H2SO4, but the
molecules have different weights, so they dont combine in
simple gram-for-gram ratios

Remember the mole..?

One mole is the amount of

substance which contains as many
"elemental entities" (eg, atoms,
molecules, ions, electrons) as there
are atoms in 12 g of carbon-12
Avogadros number 6.022 x 1023

1 mole of pennies is $ 6.022 x 1021

$890 billion for every person on the
planet!

1 mole carbon atoms (12.0 g)

Avogadros Number 6.022 x 1023

6.022 x 1023 atoms of carbon (12C) weighs 12.0 g

6.022 x 1023 atoms of hydrogen (1H) weighs 1.0 g

Do you notice a pattern here..?

These are the Atomic Weights in grams!

6.022 x 1023 atoms of carbon (12C) weighs 12.0 g

(the weight 12.011 is an average that includes 13C and 14C)
23 atoms of hydrogen (1H) weighs 1.0 g
6.022 x 10
(the weight 1.0079 is an average that includes 2H and 3H)

How heavy is a mole of

32.065 g
sulfur
196.97 g
gold
28.086 g
silicon

1 mole of...

C
Cu

Zn

Hg
Br

2
Ni

I2

Ca

Thats all well and good for atoms

But what about molecules?

Simply calculate the molecular mass and then change the units
from amu to grams (g).
This gives the weight of one mole of molecules: the molar mass

Molar mass

6.022 x 1023 molecules (1 mole) of glucose weighs 180.2 g

6.022 x 1023 molecules (1 mole) of CO2 weighs 44.01g

Molar mass for non-molecular compounds

Mass of one mole of the formula unit

Example: Sodium chloride exists as an orderly, repeating
pattern of sodium and chlorine atoms, but there is no
sodium chloride molecule--its hypothetical particle, the
formula unit, has the formula NaCl:
One sodium atom and one chlorine atom
The molar mass of sodium chloride is
22.99 + 35.45 = 58.44g

1 mole of ...

CuSO4

Hg2I2

ZnS

CaBr2

NiCO3
CuBr2

CuS

Working with moles

How many carbon dioxide molecules are
in 2.0 moles of carbon dioxide?

2.0 mol CO2 x

6.02 x 1023 molecules CO2

mol CO2

1.2 x 1024 molecules CO2

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Moles to grams?
You want to make copper(II) sulfate from the reaction of copper
with H2SO4. You want 0.0640 moles of copper(II) sulfate: how
many grams is this?
1. Determine the formula of copper(II) sulfate: CuSO4
2. Calculate the molar mass:
63.546 g/mol Cu + 32.066 g/mol S + (4 x 15.9995) g/mol O
= 159.61 g/mol CuSO4
Given: 0.0640 mol

Wanted: g

0.0640 mol x

159.61 g
= 10.2 g
mol

Grams to moles?
You set up the reaction and make the copper(II) sulfate. You weigh
the product and it is 8.60 g. How many moles is this?
1. Determine the formula of copper(II) sulfate: CuSO4
2. Calculate the molar mass:
63.546 g/mol Cu + 32.066 g/mol S + (4 x 15.9995) g/mol O
= 159.61 g/mol CuSO4
Given: 8.60 g
8.60 g x

Wanted: mol
1 mol
= 0.0539 mol
159.61 g

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How many molecules?

How many molecules in 454g (1 pound) of water?
1. Determine the formula: H2O
2. Calculate the molar mass:
16.00 g/mol O + 2(1.008 g/mol) H = 18.02 g/mol H2O

Given: 454g

Wanted: number of molecules

Path: g H2O -------------> mol H2O ----------------> molecules H2O

PER:

1 mol
18.02g
454 g x

1 mol
18.02 g

6.02 x 1023 molecules

mol
x

6.02 x 1023 molecules

mol

= 1.52 x 1025
molecules

Percentage composition
Percentage:
% of A = parts of A X 100
total parts

The percentage composition of a

compound is the percentage by mass of
each element in the compound.

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Example 1: calculate the percentage of

fluorine in CaF2
calculate the molar mass:
40.08g Ca + (2 x 19.00)g F = 78.08g CaF2
%F =
=
=

gF
g CaF2

x 100

(2 x 19.00)g F
x 100
78.08g CaF2
48.67 %

Percentage:
% of A = mass of A X 100
total mass

Example 1: calculate the percentage of

fluorine in CaF2
Common mistakes:
2/3 of the atoms in CaF2 are F, but the percentage
composition of F is not 66.67% because the Ca and F
atoms have different masses
When asked for the %F this is percentage by mass of
the element F, not the percentage by mass of the
molecule F2

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Example 2: percentage composition sugar

Determine the percentage composition of sugar, C12H22O11

In one mole of C12H22O11:

(12 x 12.01)g C
+ (22 x 1.008)g H
+ (11 x 16.00)g O
342.30 g C12H22O11

The molar mass of sugar is 342.3g

(12 x 12.01)g C
342.30 g C12H22O11

X 100 = 42.10% C

(22 x 1.008)g H
342.30 g C12H22O11

X 100 = 6.479% H

(11 x 16.00)g O
342.30 g C12H22O11

X 100 = 51.42% O

Check:
42.10% + 6.479% + 51.42% = 100.00%

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How many grams of carbon in 150g

sugar?

Sugar is 42.10% carbon, 6.479% hydrogen and 51.42% oxygen

In every 100g sugar 42.10g is carbon, 6.479g is hydrogen and
51.42g is oxygen

Given: 150g sugar

Wanted: g carbon
Per: 42.10 g carbon
100g sugar

Path: g sugar -------------------> g carbon

150g sugar x

42.10 g carbon
100g sugar

= 63.2 g carbon

Empirical formula

The lowest whole-number ratio of atoms of the

elements in a compound
The empirical formula of C2H4 (ethylene) is CH2
The empirical formula of C3H6 (propylene) is CH2 !
All alkanes (compounds with the general formula
CnH2n) have the same empirical formula and the same
percentage composition

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Empirical formula

Example: Write the empirical formula of benzene, C6H6

C6H6: Both divisible by 6
EF: CH

Example: Write the empirical formula of octane, C8H18

C8H18: Both divisible by 2
EF: C4H9

How to Find an Empirical Formula

1. Find the masses of different elements in a sample of
the compound (quantitative analysis)
2. Convert the masses into moles of atoms of the
different elements
3. Express the moles of atoms as the smallest possible
ratio of integers
4. Write the empirical formula, using the number for
each atom in the integer ratio as the subscript in the
formula

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Example

What is the empirical formula of a compound that

analyzes as 79.95% carbon, 9.40% hydrogen, and
10.65% oxygen?
Many empirical formula questions
can be solved with the following table:

Element

Grams

Element Grams

79.95

9.40

10.65

Mole
Ratio

Moles

Mole Formula Empirical

Ratio
Ratio Formula

79.95 g C

6.657

12.01 g/mol C

0.6656

6.657

10.00

9.40 g H

9.33

1.008 g/mol H

0.6656

9.33

14.0

10.65 g O

0.6656

16.00 g O

0.6656

0.6656

1.000

Smallest number:
divide by this to find
mole ratios

Moles

Formula Empirical
Ratio
Formula

10

14

C10H14O

17

Example

A sample of a pure compound is found to contain 1.61g of

phosphorous and 2.98g of fluorine. What is its empirical formula?

Element Grams

1.61

2.98

Moles

Mole Formula Empirical

Ratio
Ratio Formula

1.61 g

0.0520

30.97 g/mol

0.0520

0.0520

1.00

2.98 g

0.157

19.00 g/mol

0.0520

0.157

3.02

PF3

Discovering the molecular formula

The molecular formula of a compound is found by

determination of the number of empirical formula units in the
molecule
For example, if the empirical formula of a compound is CH2,
the true molecular formula could be
CH2 (one empirical formula unit)
or C2H4 (two empirical formula units)
or C3H6 (three empirical formula units)
or C4H8 (four empirical formula units)
.etc

Presentation Slides to Accompany Cracolice/Peters Introductory Chemistry: An Active Learning Approach, Third Edition Copyright 2007 Brooks/Cole, a part of the Thomson Corporation.

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How to Find the Molecular Formula of a

Compound
1. Determine the empirical formula of the compound
2. Calculate the molar mass of the empirical formula unit
3. Determine the molar mass of the compound (you would
measure this, or for chem23 purposes it will be given)
4. Divide the molar mass of the compound by the molar mass of
the empirical formula unit to get n, the number of empirical
formula units per molecule
5. Write the molecular formula

Example
What is the molecular formula
of a compound with the empirical formula
C5H10O and a molar mass of 258 g/mol?
Molar mass of C5H10O:
5(12.01 g/mol C) + 10(1.008 g/mol H) + 16.00 g/mol O
= 86.13 g/mol C5H10O
258 g/mol molecule

= 3 EF units

86.13 g/mol EF unit

C15H30O3

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