Question #c2141
1 Answer
Here's what I got.
Explanation:
In order to determine how many atoms of carbon you have in your sample, you must use a series of conversion factors to take you from
grams of sucrose
->→ moles of sucrose->→ molecules of sucrose->→ atoms of carbon
To go from grams of sucrose to moles of sucrose, use the molar mass of the compound. Your sample will contain
1.0 color(red)(cancel(color(black)("g"))) * ("1 mole C"_12"H"_22"O"_11)/(342.3color(red)(cancel(color(black)("g")))) = "0.0029214 moles C"_12"H"_22"O"_11
Now, you can go from moles of sucrose to number of molecules of sucrose by using Avogadro's constant, which is essentially the definition of a mole.
Your sample will contain
0.0029214 color(red)(cancel(color(black)("moles C"_12"H"_22"O"_11))) * (6.022 * 10^(22)"molecules C"_12"H"_22"O"_11)/(1color(red)(cancel(color(black)("mole C"_12"H"_22"O"_11))))
= 1.7593 * 10^(21)"molecules C"_12"H"_22"O"_11
Now, as its chemical formula suggest, every molecule of sucrose contains
- twelve atoms of carbon,
12 xx "C" - twenty two atoms of hydrogen,
22 xx "H" - eleven atoms of oxygen,
11 xx "O" ![
)
This means that your sample will contain
1.7593 * 10^(21) color(red)(cancel(color(black)("molecules C"_12"H"_22"O"_11))) * "12 atoms C"/(1color(red)(cancel(color(black)("molecule C"_12"H"_22"O"_11))))
= color(darkgreen)(ul(color(black)(2.1 * 10^(22)"atoms of C")))
The answer is rounded to two sig figs, the number of sig figs you have for the mass of sucrose.