A student was assigned the task of determining the molar mass of an unknown gas.

The student measured

the mass of a sealed 843 mL rigid flask that contained dry air. The student then flushed the flask with the
unknown gas, resealed it, and measured the mass again. Both the air and the unknown gas were at 23.0°C
and 750. torr. The data for the experiment are shown in the table below.

Volume of sealed flask 843 mL

Mass of sealed flask and dry air 157.70 g
Mass of sealed flask and unknown gas 158.08 g

1. Calculate the mass, in grams, of the dry air that was in the sealed flask. (The density of dry air is 1.18 g
L−1 at 23.0°C and 750. torr.) [1 point]
m = d x v = 1.18 g/L x 0.843 L = 0.995 g of dry air

2. Calculate the mass, in grams, of the sealed flask itself (i.e., if it had no air in it). [1 point]
Sealed flask with air – air = sealed flask 157.70 g – 0.995 g = 156.71 g for the empty sealed flask

3. Calculate the mass, in grams, of the unknown gas that was added to the sealed flask. [1 point]
Flask with unknown – empty flask = mass of unknown gas 158.08 g – 156.71 g = 1.37 g of unknown gas

4. Using the information above, calculate the value of the molar mass of the unknown gas. [3 points]
!" (&'( *+,,)((./012) 7.1& 8
𝑛 = #$ = !∗#$%% = 0.0343 𝑚𝑜𝑙 (.(101 9+:
= 40.0 g/mol
(34.13 )(4536)
&$'∗(

After the experiment was completed, the instructor informed the student that the unknown gas was
carbon dioxide (44.0 g mol−1) .
5. Calculate the percent error in the value of the molar mass calculated in part (d). [1 point]
|"#$"%&'"()*+,*-).*+| |/0.0,//.0|
%𝑒𝑟𝑟𝑜𝑟 = × 100 = × 100 = 9.1% error
*-).*+ //.0

6. For each of the following two possible occurrences, indicate whether it by itself could have been
responsible for the error in the student’s experimental result. You need not include any calculations with
your answer. For each of the possible occurrences, justify your answer. [2 points]
Occurrence 1: The flask was incompletely flushed with CO2(g) , resulting in some dry air remaining in the
flask.
This could cause the error because dry air is less dense than CO2, which would cause the apparent mass of the
unknown to be lower and thus the molar mass to be lower as well.

Occurrence 2: The temperature of the air was 23.0°C, but the temperature of the CO2(g) was lower than
the reported 23.0°C.
This could not cause the error. At a lower temperature the density of CO2 would be greater. Thus, a larger mass of
the gas would be present in the same space.

7. Describe the steps of a laboratory method that the student could use to verify that the volume of the rigid
flask is 843 mL at 23.0°C. You need not include any calculations with your answer. [1 point]

Fill a flask with water. Determine the mass of the water by difference (flask of water – empty flask). Use known
density of water at that temperature to determine the volume of the water and thus the volume of the flask.

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A new element with atomic number 116 was discovered in 2000. In 2012 it was named livermorium, Lv.
Although Lv is radioactive and short-lived, its chemical properties and reactivity should follow periodic
trends.

1. Write the electron configuration for the valence electrons of Lv in the ground state. [1 point]

7s2 7p4

2. According to periodic properties, what would be the most likely formula for the product obtained when Lv
reacts with H2(g)? [1 point]

LvH2 Because each hydrogen has only one valence electron, each H can form only one bond. Lv has 6 valence e-
available, which means it could form two single bonds.

3. The first ionization energy of polonium, Po, is 812 kJ/mol. Is the first ionization energy of Lv expected to
be greater than, less than, or equal to that of Po? Justify your answer in terms of Coulomb's law. [1 point]

First ionization energy for Lv should be smaller than that of Po because the valence electrons in Lv are farther from
the nucleus than the valence electrons in atoms of Po. As the distance between the valence electrons and nucleus
increases, the strength of attraction decreases.

4. Shown below is a hypothetical mass spectrum for a sample of Lv containing 10 atoms. Using the
information in the graph, determine the average atomic mass of Lv in the sample to four significant
figures. [1 point]

Avg. mass = (291.2)(2/10) + (292.2)(3/10) + (293.2)(5/10) = 292.5 amu