Question

what is the percent composition of oxygen in vanadium oxide used as an industrial catalyst?

Answer 1

Vanadium oxide commonly used as an industrial catalyst is often in the form of vanadium(V) oxide, which has the chemical formula \( \text{V}_2\text{O}_5 \).

To calculate the percent composition of oxygen in vanadium(V) oxide, we can use the following steps:

1. **Calculate the molar mass of \( \text{V}_2\text{O}_5 \)**:
- The atomic mass of vanadium (V) is approximately 51. Vanadium appears twice in the formula.
- The atomic mass of oxygen (O) is approximately 16. Oxygen appears five times in the formula.

\[
\text{Molar mass of } \text{V}_2\text{O}_5 = (2 \times 51) + (5 \times 16) = 102 + 80 = 182 \, \text{g/mol}
\]

2. **Calculate the total mass contribution of oxygen**:
\[
\text{Mass of oxygen in } \text{V}_2\text{O}_5 = 5 \times 16 = 80 \, \text{g/mol}
\]

3. **Calculate the percent composition of oxygen**:
\[
\text{Percent composition of oxygen} = \left( \frac{\text{Mass of oxygen}}{\text{Molar mass of } \text{V}_2\text{O}_5} \right) \times 100
\]
\[
= \left( \frac{80}{182} \right) \times 100 \approx 43.96\%
\]

Therefore, the percent composition of oxygen in vanadium(V) oxide (\( \text{V}_2\text{O}_5 \)) is approximately **43.96%**.