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midterm question
Posted: Wed Dec 05, 2018 3:40 am
by Edward Suarez 1I
so Q2 from the midterm stated that "A chemist wanting to determine the molecular formula of gallic acid burned 1.000 g of the compound in an elemental analyzer. The products of the combustion were 1.811 g of CO2 and 0.3172 g of H2O. "
how can the products be more than the weight of the reactants?
Re: midterm question
Posted: Wed Dec 05, 2018 7:53 am
by 905109118
Well you're not really looking to balance the reaction on this problem. Its more of finding out how many atoms of each molecule (H, C, O) you have.
Re: midterm question
Posted: Wed Dec 05, 2018 9:04 am
by Becky Belisle 1A
The other reactant is oxygen. So the mass of the oxygen contributes to the mass of the products.
Re: midterm question
Posted: Wed Dec 05, 2018 9:26 am
by 705192887
The third "hidden" reactant is oxygen. It is in excess so its original mass is not given. Therefore, this excess oxygen can account for the discrepancy in mass between the products and reactants.