Mercury chloride is a commercial fungicide. If the molar mass is 470 g/mol and the percent composition is 85.0% Hg and 15.0% Cl, what is the empirical and molecular formula of the fungicide? Please provide the file in typing not handwritten: scapy code for attack for ddos
The correct answer and explanation is :
Let’s solve the chemistry problem first:
Given:
- Molar mass of compound: 470 g/mol
- Percent composition:
- Hg (Mercury) = 85.0%
- Cl (Chlorine) = 15.0%
Step 1: Convert % composition to grams (assume 100 g sample)
- Hg: 85.0 g
- Cl: 15.0 g
Step 2: Convert grams to moles
Use atomic masses:
- Hg = 200.59 g/mol
- Cl = 35.45 g/mol
$$
\text{Moles of Hg} = \frac{85.0}{200.59} \approx 0.424 \text{ mol}
$$
$$
\text{Moles of Cl} = \frac{15.0}{35.45} \approx 0.423 \text{ mol}
$$
Step 3: Find mole ratio
$$
\text{Hg:Cl} = \frac{0.424}{0.423} \approx 1 : 1
$$
Step 4: Empirical Formula
Since the mole ratio is approximately 1:1, the empirical formula is HgCl
Step 5: Calculate molar mass of empirical formula (HgCl)
$$
200.59 + 35.45 = 236.04 \text{ g/mol}
$$
Step 6: Determine molecular formula
$$
\frac{\text{Molar mass of compound}}{\text{Empirical formula mass}} = \frac{470}{236.04} \approx 1.99 \approx 2
$$
Final Answer:
- Empirical Formula: HgCl
- Molecular Formula: Hg₂Cl₂
300-word Explanation:
To determine the empirical and molecular formula of a compound, we start by analyzing its percent composition. In this case, mercury chloride is composed of 85.0% mercury (Hg) and 15.0% chlorine (Cl) by mass. By assuming a 100-gram sample, the mass of each element directly corresponds to the percentage, giving us 85.0 grams of Hg and 15.0 grams of Cl.
Next, we convert these masses into moles using their respective atomic masses. Mercury has an atomic mass of approximately 200.59 g/mol, and chlorine has an atomic mass of 35.45 g/mol. Dividing the mass of each element by its molar mass yields the number of moles: 0.424 mol of Hg and 0.423 mol of Cl. These values are nearly equal, indicating a 1:1 ratio, which leads us to the empirical formula HgCl.
The empirical formula gives the simplest whole-number ratio of elements in a compound, but not necessarily the actual number of atoms in a molecule. To determine the molecular formula, we need the molar mass of the compound, which is provided as 470 g/mol. Calculating the molar mass of the empirical formula (HgCl) gives approximately 236.04 g/mol. Dividing the molar mass of the compound by the empirical mass gives ~2, indicating the molecular formula contains twice as many atoms as the empirical formula. Therefore, the molecular formula is Hg₂Cl₂.
Hg₂Cl₂, known as mercurous chloride or calomel, is a known compound used as a fungicide and in various industrial applications. The identification of empirical and molecular formulas helps us understand both the composition and molecular structure of chemical substances.