Oxygen Mass Calculation In Sulfuric Acid & Sulfur Trioxide

Hey guys! Today, we're diving into a chemistry problem where we need to figure out the mass of oxygen present in a mixture. Specifically, we're dealing with a mix of sulfuric acid (H₂SO₄) and sulfur trioxide (SO₃). This might sound a bit intimidating, but don't worry, we'll break it down step by step. So, let's jump right into understanding how to calculate the mass of oxygen in a mixture containing 4 moles of sulfuric acid and 1 mole of sulfur trioxide. This involves a bit of stoichiometry, but we'll make it super clear and easy to follow. Let's get started!

Understanding the Problem

Before we start crunching numbers, let's make sure we understand what the question is asking. We have a mixture, and in this mixture, there are two compounds: sulfuric acid (H₂SO₄) and sulfur trioxide (SO₃). We know the exact amount of each compound: 4 moles of sulfuric acid and 1 mole of sulfur trioxide. Our mission, should we choose to accept it (and we do!), is to find out the total mass of oxygen present in this mixture. Remember, oxygen is a crucial element in both of these compounds, and its mass contributes significantly to the overall mass of the mixture.

So, the challenge here is not just about knowing the amounts of the compounds but also understanding their chemical formulas. The formulas tell us how many oxygen atoms are in each molecule. This is key to figuring out the total amount of oxygen. Once we know the number of moles of oxygen, we can easily convert that to mass using the molar mass of oxygen. It’s like a puzzle, and each piece of information we gather brings us closer to the solution. The first step? Figuring out how much oxygen is in each compound individually.

Step 1: Oxygen Mass in Sulfuric Acid (H₂SO₄)

Alright, let's start with the first component of our mixture: sulfuric acid (H₂SO₄). This is a pretty common and important chemical compound, and its formula tells us a lot. H₂SO₄ means that each molecule of sulfuric acid contains 2 hydrogen atoms, 1 sulfur atom, and most importantly for us, 4 oxygen atoms. Now, we know we have 4 moles of sulfuric acid. So, how much oxygen do we have from this? Well, if each mole of H₂SO₄ has 4 moles of oxygen atoms, then 4 moles of H₂SO₄ will have 4 times that amount.

Let's do the math: 4 moles of H₂SO₄ * 4 moles of oxygen/mole of H₂SO₄ = 16 moles of oxygen. See? Not so scary! We've figured out that the sulfuric acid contributes 16 moles of oxygen to our mixture. But we're not done yet. We still need to figure out the oxygen contribution from the sulfur trioxide. This step is crucial, because it gets us halfway to the total oxygen amount. Remember, accurate calculations are key in chemistry, so let's double-check our work and then move on to the next step.

Step 2: Oxygen Mass in Sulfur Trioxide (SO₃)

Now, let's tackle the second part of our mixture: sulfur trioxide (SO₃). Just like with sulfuric acid, the chemical formula is our best friend here. SO₃ tells us that each molecule of sulfur trioxide contains 1 sulfur atom and 3 oxygen atoms. We know we have 1 mole of sulfur trioxide in our mixture. So, how many moles of oxygen do we get from this? This one’s pretty straightforward.

Since each mole of SO₃ contains 3 moles of oxygen atoms, 1 mole of SO₃ will contribute 3 moles of oxygen. That's it! We've figured out the oxygen contribution from the sulfur trioxide. This step was a bit simpler than the sulfuric acid calculation, but it’s just as important. We now know the amount of oxygen coming from both components of our mixture. Understanding these individual contributions is essential before we can combine them to find the total oxygen mass. So, we have 16 moles of oxygen from the sulfuric acid and 3 moles of oxygen from the sulfur trioxide. What's next? Let's add them up!

Step 3: Calculating Total Moles of Oxygen

Okay, we've done the groundwork. We know how much oxygen comes from each compound in our mixture. Now it's time for the exciting part: adding it all up! We calculated that we have 16 moles of oxygen from the sulfuric acid (H₂SO₄) and 3 moles of oxygen from the sulfur trioxide (SO₃). To find the total moles of oxygen in the mixture, we simply add these two values together.

So, 16 moles (from H₂SO₄) + 3 moles (from SO₃) = 19 moles of oxygen. Ta-da! We now know that our mixture contains a total of 19 moles of oxygen atoms. This is a significant milestone, guys! We're getting closer to our final answer. But remember, the question asked for the mass of oxygen, not the number of moles. So, we have one more step to go: converting moles to mass. This involves using the molar mass of oxygen, which is a constant value. Let's dive into that next!

Step 4: Converting Moles of Oxygen to Mass

Alright, we're in the home stretch now! We've figured out that our mixture contains 19 moles of oxygen. The final step is to convert this amount from moles to grams, which will give us the mass of oxygen. To do this, we need to use the molar mass of oxygen. The molar mass is the mass of one mole of a substance, and for oxygen (O), it's approximately 16 grams per mole (g/mol). But here's a little trick: we're talking about oxygen atoms (O), not oxygen gas (O₂).

If we were dealing with oxygen gas (O₂), the molar mass would be about 32 g/mol (16 g/mol * 2). But since we're calculating the mass of individual oxygen atoms within the compounds, we use the molar mass of a single oxygen atom, which is 16 g/mol. Now, the calculation is pretty straightforward: Mass = Moles * Molar Mass. So, the mass of oxygen in our mixture is 19 moles * 16 g/mol = 304 grams. There we have it! We've successfully calculated the mass of oxygen in our mixture. Give yourselves a pat on the back!

Final Answer and Summary

So, after all that calculating, we've arrived at our final answer: The mixture of 4 moles of sulfuric acid (H₂SO₄) and 1 mole of sulfur trioxide (SO₃) contains 304 grams of oxygen. Awesome job, guys! We took a potentially complex problem and broke it down into manageable steps. Let's quickly recap what we did:

1. Understood the Problem: We identified that we needed to find the total mass of oxygen in the mixture.
2. Oxygen in Sulfuric Acid: We calculated that 4 moles of H₂SO₄ contribute 16 moles of oxygen.
3. Oxygen in Sulfur Trioxide: We determined that 1 mole of SO₃ contributes 3 moles of oxygen.
4. Total Moles of Oxygen: We added the oxygen moles from both compounds, giving us 19 moles of oxygen.
5. Moles to Mass Conversion: We used the molar mass of oxygen (16 g/mol) to convert 19 moles to 304 grams.

This step-by-step approach is super useful for tackling all sorts of chemistry problems. By breaking down the problem, identifying the key information, and working through each step methodically, you can solve even the trickiest questions. Keep practicing, and you'll become a chemistry whiz in no time! Remember, understanding the process is just as important as getting the right answer.

Why This Matters: Real-World Applications

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