If 60.2 grams of Cu combines completely with 24.0 grams of Cl to form a compound, what is the percent composition of Cu in the compound?

Answer 1

To find the percent composition of Cu in the compound, we first need to calculate the molar mass of Cu and Cl.

The molar mass of Cu is 63.55 g/mol and the molar mass of Cl is 35.45 g/mol.

Next, we need to calculate the moles of each element present in the compound.

For Cu:
60.2 g Cu x (1 mol Cu / 63.55 g Cu) = 0.946 mol Cu

For Cl:
24.0 g Cl x (1 mol Cl / 35.45 g Cl) = 0.676 mol Cl

The ratio of Cu to Cl in the compound is approximately 1.4:1.

Therefore, the percent composition of Cu in the compound is calculated as follows:
% Cu = (mass of Cu / total mass of compound) x 100%
% Cu = (60.2 g Cu / (60.2 g Cu + 24.0 g Cl)) x 100%
% Cu = (60.2 g Cu / 84.2 g) x 100%
% Cu = 71.4%

Therefore, the percent composition of Cu in the compound is 71.4%.