*PERCENT COMPOSITION FORMULA

The percentage composition of a given compound is defined as the ratio of the amount of each
element to the total amount of individual elements present in the compound multiplied by 100.
Here, the quantity is measured in terms of grams of the elements present.
The percent composition of any compound expresses its composition in terms of all the elements
present. Thus, it helps in chemical analysis of the given compound.
The formula for Percentage Composition
mass
Mass % = =100%
total

In this video we’re going to talk about how to calculate the percent composition of an element so
let’s go over the formula. The mass set is equal to the mass of the element divided by the total
mass times 100%. How you can calculate the mass to set if you’re given the grams or if you’re
given a molar mass in terms of grams per mole the answer will skill be the same.
In this example we’re going to use the atomic weights or the molar mass that can be found in a
periodic table so let’s begin.

Let’s start with C12H22011, lets calculate the percent by mass of carbon now the first thing I
would recommend doing is finding the molar mass of the entire compound first. So we have 12
carbon atoms, 22 hydrogen atoms and 11 oxygen atoms. Carbon has an atomic mass of 12 point
zero and hydrogen is 1.008 , oxygen 16. So if you type this in exactly the way you see it in your
calculator you should get, 342. 296 grams per molar, so that’s the molar mass of the entire thing
now if you want to find the percent by carbon you need to take the molar mass of all 12 carbon
atoms and divided by the total and then multiply by 100%, so each carbon is 12.01 that’s the
atomic mass is this number that we have, 342.296 then we’re going to multiply by 100% so
12x12.01 that’s 144.12 divide that by 342.296 and then take that result multiplied by 100% and
you should get 42.1%. So that’s the percentage by mass of the carbon atoms in sucrose and I’m
just going to rewrite the answer on the top so we can reference it later so it’s 42.1%, now let’s do
the same thing with hydrogen so we need to take the mass of all the hydrogen atoms this 22 of
them each has an atomic mass of one point zero eight and divided by the same total mass for the
entire compound which is 342. 296 and the multiply by 100% , so 22 times 1.008 that’s twenty
two ,176 and then divide by the 342.296 then multiply by 100 , this will give you about 6.5%.
Now let’s do the same thing with oxygen. So in sucrose, there are 11 oxygen atoms each with
atomic mass of 16 then divided by the total molar mass. 11x16. That’s 176, then divided by the
molar mass and multiplied by 100. You should get 51.9%. So that’s the beset by oxygen or the
percent by mass of oxygen. Now if you if you add up 51.4, 42.1, and 6.5 this will give you a
100%. That how you can tell if you did everything correctly.

So now let’s move on to the next example. Let’s calculate the percent composition of every
element composition in C5H9NO2. So, first let’s find the molar mass of the entire compound.
So we have 5 carbon atoms, 9 hydrogen atoms, 1 nitrogen atoms, and 2 oxygen atoms. Now let’s
replace carbon with it’s atomic mass of 12.01… H is 1.008 plus nitrogen 14.01. and oxygen is
16. Now 5 times 12.01 is 60.05, 9x1.008, that’s this number and then 2 times 16 is 32, So now
let’s add everything… The total molar mass is 115.132 grams per mole, so now that we can
calculate the mass, the center of every out excuse of every element. So let’s start with the percent
of carbon, so it’s going to be the 5 carbon atoms which we could see that it has a mass of 60.05
divided by the total molar mass of 155.132 times 100%. So it’s 52.16%. Now let’s move on to
the percent by hydrogen are two percent of hydrogen atoms which has a mass of 9.072 times
100% and so that’s going to be about 7.88%.
Now let’s do the same for the two remaining elements, so let’s move on to nitrogen, is we have
the mass of nitrogen which is a 14.01 divided by the total times 100, so once you do this a few
time it becomes a second-nature you’ll automatically get the hang of it, so the total is 12.17%,
for nitrogen.
Now let’s move on to oxygen, the last one, there are two outcome atoms and so are the molar
mass of those two oxygen is 32 and just as we’ve been doing before we’re going to divide it by
the total so nothing has change except the top number. And I got 27.79% for the value of
oxygen. so, that’s the mass percent of oxygen in that compound so you know how to find a
percent composition of every element with in a molecular compound.

Calculate the percent composition of each element

a. C12H22O11

12 C + 22H + 11 (0)
12 (12.01) + 22 (1.008) + 11 (16)
= 342.296 g/mol
12𝐶
%C = 𝑥 100%
𝑡𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙

= 𝑥 100% = 42.1%

%H = 𝑥 100% = 6.5%

%O= 𝑥 100% = 51.4

b. C5h9NO2

5C + 9H + N + 2 (O)

5 (12.01) + 9 (1.008) + 14.01 + 2 (16)

60.05 + 9.072 + 14.01 + 32 = 115.132 g/mol

%C = 𝑥 100% = 52.16%
%H = 𝑥 100% = 7.88%

%N= 𝑥 100% = 12.17%

%O = 𝑥 100% = 27.79%

Empirical Formula
The empirical formula of a compound is defined as the formula that shows the ratio of elements present in
the compound, but not the actual numbers of atoms found in the molecule. The ratios are denoted by
subscripts next to the element symbols.
Also Known As: The empirical formula is also known as the simplest formula because the subscripts are
the smallest whole numbers that indicate the ratio of elements.
Today I’m going to show you how to calculate empirical formula like this
Empirical Formula Example Calculation
A. What is the empirical formula?

100g C(2)H(6)O(1)

52.14𝑔 𝐶 1𝑚𝑜𝑙 𝐶
𝑥 = 4.34 𝑚𝑜𝑙 / 2.171 = 2 1
12.01𝑔 𝐶

13.13𝑔 𝐻 1𝑚𝑜𝑙 𝐻
𝑥 = 13.026𝑚𝑜𝑙 / 2.171 = 6
1 1.008𝑔𝐻

34.73𝑔 𝑂 1𝑚𝑜𝑙 𝑂
𝑥 = 2.171 / 2.171 = 1 1 16𝑔 𝑂

B. If the water mass of the compound is 138.204. What is the molecular formula?

100g C2H6O1 = empirical

2C + 6H +1 (0)
2 (12.01) + 6 (1.008) + 16
C2H6O1
46.0
CxHyOz 68
138.2
04
 = C6H18O5
In this video we’re going to talk about how to find the empirical formula of a compound from percent
composition and also how to get the molecular formula if for given the molar mass so let’s start with this
problems …..a compound is compose of 52.14% carbon, 13.13% hydrogen and 34.73% oxygen by mass
what is the empirical formula…… now let’s say that we have a hundred grams of compound 52.14% of
100 grams is basically 54.14 grams so that’s how many grams of carbon we have out of a compound
that’s 100 grams, so that means that we have 13.13 grams of hydrogen and 334.73 grams of oxygen
basically when you’re given the percent composition simply make it grams base your compound out of
100 grams and you called change the percentage into grams, now what you want to do next is you need to
convert grams of carbon into moles.. the atomic mass of carbon is 12.01 grams per mole so that the unit
grams will cancel and let’s divide 52.14 by 12.01, so you should get 4.34 mole of carbon now… let’s do
the same thing for hydrogen, the molar mass of hydrogen is 1.008 grams so that means 1 mole of
hydrogen has a mass of 1.008 grams. So let’s take 13.13 and divided by 1.008, so this will give us 13.026
mole of hydrogen, lastly we have oxygen the molar mass of which is 16 grams per 1 mole so 34.73
divided by 16 that’s 2.171 moles. Now what you need to do up next is identify which number is the
smallest, clearly is the moles of oxygen. So what you need to do is divide every quantity that you have by
the smallest of the 3 values in this case the moles of oxygen ideally you want to get a whole number …
4.34 divided by 2.171, that is about two it’s 1.999 but you want to round it to the nearest whole number if
possible 13.026 divided by 2.171 is 6 and this is clearly one now we have this subscript for carbon the
subscript for hydrogen and the subscript for oxygen so that empirical formula that is the formula with the
lowest ratios it's C2H6O1 so that’s the empirical formula that’s how you can find it if you’re given the
percent composition of an element so that’s the answer.
Now let’s move on to B If the molar mass of the compound is 138.204. What is the molecular formula. So
we have empirical formula so there are two carbons, six hydrogen’s and one oxygen, so it’s 2 times 12.01
plus 6 times 1.008 plus 16. So the molar mass of C2H6O1 is 46.068. So now we need to know what
molecular formula corresponds to a molar mass of 138.204. So what you need to do is take the larger
number and divided by the small number so if we divide 138.204 by 46.068 we’re going to get 3, so if
you multiply 46 by 3 you get 138 so therefor to get the molecular formula we need to multiply the
subscript of the empirical formula by 3. So this is going to give us C6H18O3 and that’s how you find the
molecular formula from the empirical form.