To calculate the total mass of the reactants in the equation:
\[ \text{FeCl}_3 + 3\text{H}_2\text{O} \]
we need to find the mass of each component in the reactants.
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Mass of FeCl3:
- Iron (Fe): 56 amu
- Chlorine (Cl): 35 amu, and there are 3 chlorine atoms. \[ \text{Mass of } \text{FeCl}_3 = 56 + (3 \times 35) = 56 + 105 = 161 \text{ amu} \]
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Mass of 3H2O:
- Hydrogen (H): 1 amu, and there are 2 hydrogen atoms for each water molecule. So for 3H2O: \[ \text{Mass of } \text{H}_2\text{O} = (2 \times 1) + 16 = 2 + 16 = 18 \text{ amu} \] Therefore, for 3 water molecules: \[ \text{Mass of } 3\text{H}_2\text{O} = 3 \times 18 = 54 \text{ amu} \]
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Total Mass of the Reactants: \[ \text{Total mass} = \text{Mass of } \text{FeCl}_3 + \text{Mass of } 3\text{H}_2\text{O} \] \[ \text{Total mass} = 161 + 54 = 215 \text{ amu} \]
Thus, the total mass of the reactants is 215 amu.