Question

What is the percentage by mass of nitrogen in ammonium sulphate

Answer 1

The molecular formula of ammonium sulfate is (NH4)2SO4. From this formula, we can deduce that there is one nitrogen atom (N) for each ammonium ion (NH4), and two nitrogen atoms in total in the compound.

To calculate the percentage by mass of nitrogen in ammonium sulfate, we need to consider the molar mass of nitrogen and the overall molar mass of ammonium sulfate.

The atomic mass of nitrogen (N) is approximately 14.01 g/mol.

The molar mass of ammonium sulfate ((NH4)2SO4) can be calculated by adding up the atomic masses of each element in the compound:
- (N) Nitrogen: 14.01 g/mol (1 atom of nitrogen)
- (H) Hydrogen: 1.01 g/mol x 8 (8 atoms of hydrogen in two ammonium ions)
- (S) Sulfur: 32.07 g/mol (1 atom of sulfur)
- (O) Oxygen: 16.00 g/mol x 4 (4 atoms of oxygen)
Total molar mass of (NH4)2SO4 = (14.01 g/mol) + (1.01 g/mol x 8) + (32.07 g/mol) + (16.00 g/mol x 4) = 132.14 g/mol

Now, let's calculate the percentage by mass of nitrogen in ammonium sulfate:
Percentage by mass of nitrogen = (Molar mass of nitrogen / Molar mass of (NH4)2SO4) x 100%
Percentage by mass of nitrogen = (14.01 g/mol / 132.14 g/mol) x 100%

Therefore, the percentage by mass of nitrogen in ammonium sulfate is approximately 10.6%.