CHEMY 101

CHAPTER 3

Mass Relationships
in Chemical
Reactions
CHAPTER OUTLINE

3.1 Atomic Mass

3.2 Avogadro’s Number and the Molar Mass of an Element
3.3 Molecular Mass
3.5 Percent Composition of Compounds
3.6 Experimental Determination of Empirical Formulas
3.7 Chemical Reactions and Chemical Equations
3.8 Amounts of Reactants and Products
3.9 Limiting Reactants
3.10 Reaction Yield
 3.1: Atomic Mass
❖ Atomic mass is the mass of an atom in atomic mass units (amu)
❖ It is defined as one-twelfth the mass of a carbon-12 atom.
❖ Next the masses of the other atoms relative to carbon-12 are
determined with a mass spectrometer.

• 1 atom 12C “weighs” 12 amu

On this scale
1H = 1.008 amu 16O = 16.00 amu

Note: Carbon-12 has been chosen because of its isotope purity)

 Average Atomic Mass
most naturally occurring elements (including carbon) have more than one
isotope. This means that when we measure the atomic mass of an
element, we must generally settle for the average mass of the naturally
occurring mixture of isotopes
 Examples
Silver has two naturally occurring isotopes, Ag-107 (m=106.9 amu)
and Ag-109 (m=108.9 amu) with isotopic abundances of 51.8% and
48.2% respectively. Calculate the average atomic mass of silver.
Answer
the average atomic mass of silver.=
0.518 x 106.9 + 0.482 x 108.9= 107.9 amu
Boron has two stable isotopes, B-10 (19.80 percent) with (m =
10.0129 amu) and B-11 (80.20 percent) (m=11.0093 amu) .
Calculate average atomic mass of boron
Answer
average atomic mass of boron =
(0.1980)(10.0129 ) + (0.8020)(11.0093 ) = 10.8129 amu
Examples
 3.2 The Mole and Avogadro’s Number (NA)

✓ the mole (mol) is the amount of the substance that contains the same number of
elementary entities (atoms, molecules and or other particles)

✓ Avogadro number, NA: number of units (electrons, atoms, ions, or molecules) in

one mole of any substance 1 mol = NA = 6.022 x 1023

➢Molar mass is the mass of 1 mole in grams,

unit: g/mol
 Examples
3.2: How many moles of He atoms are in 6.46 g of He?
Answer
1 mol He = 4.003 g He
6.46 g He × 1 mol He /4.003 g He = = 1.61 mol He
3.3. How many grams of Zn are in 0.356 mole of Zn?
Answer
1 mol Zn = 65.39 g Zn
0.356 mol Zn × 65.39 g Zn/ 1 mol Zn = = 23.3 g Zn
3.4. What is the mass (in grams) of one C60 molecule?
 3.3 Molecular mass and Formula mass
Formula mass is the sum of the atomic masses (in amu) in
a formula unit of an ionic compound.

1Na 22.99 amu

1 formula unit NaCl = 58.44 amu 1Cl + 35.45 amu
NaCl 58.44 amu
What is the formula mass of Ca3(PO4)2 ?
3 Ca 3 x 40.08
2P 2 x 30.97
8O + 8 x 16.00
310.18 amu
Molecular Mass is the sum of the atomic masses
(in amu) in a molecule.

1S 32.07 amu
2O + 2 x 16.00 amu
SO2 SO2 64.07 amu

1 molecule SO2 = 64.07 amu

Example3.5
Calculate the molecular masses (in amu) of the following
compounds: (a) sulfur dioxide (SO2), (b) caffeine (C8H10N4O2)
Answer:
(a) molecular mass of SO2
= 32.07 amu + 2(16.00 amu) = 64.07 amu

(b) molecular mass of caffeine (C8H10N4O2) =

8(12.01 amu) + 10(1.008 amu) + 4(14.01 amu) + 2(16.00 amu)
= 194.20 amu
Example 3.7
3.7. How many hydrogen atoms are present in 25.6 g of urea
[(NH2)2CO], The molar mass of urea is 60.06 g
Molar Mass (MM): Mass of 1 mole in grams

➢ “Element” atomic mass (amu) = molar mass (g)

➢ “Ionic Compound” formula mass (amu) = molar mass (g)
➢ “Molecule” molecular mass (amu) = molar mass (g)
Mole-Mass Conversions: n = m/MM
m N

n M (n) n NA

(m)
 M = molar mass in g/mol
NA = Avogadro’s number

How many atoms are in 0.551 g of potassium (K)?

MM (K) = 39.10 g/mol

0.551
x 6.022 x 1023
39.10

= 8.49 x 1021 atoms K

How many H atoms are in 72.5 g of C3H8O ?

MM of C3H8O = (3 x 12) + (8 x 1) + 16 = 60 g/mol

No. Of moles of C3H8O n = m/MM = 72.5/60 = 1.21 moles

No. of C3H8O molecules = 1.21 x 6.022 x 1023

= 7.30 x 1023

1 mol C3H8O molecules = 8 mol H atoms

No. of H atoms = 8 x 7.30 x 1023

= 5.82 x 1024 atoms H
Example

1) Acetylsalicylic acid (ASA), C9H8O4, is the active

ingredient of aspirin.
a. What is the mass in grams of 0.509 moles of
acetylsalicylic acid (ASA)?

b. How many molecules of C9H8O4 are there in 12.00 g of

acetylsalicylic acid? How many carbon atoms?

c. A one-gram sample of aspirin contains 75.2% by mass of

C9H8O4. How many moles of acetylsalicylic acid are in the
sample? MM (C9H8O4) = 180.15 g/mol
Answer

MM (C9H8O4) = 180.15 g/mol

a. m = MM x n = 180.15 x 0.509 = 91.7 g

b. No. of molecules = (12/180.15) X 6.022 x 1023

= 4.011 X 1022 molecules

No. of C atoms = 4.011 X 1022 X 9 = 3.61 X 1023

c. 75.2 % of C9H8O4 = 0.752 g of C9H8O4 in 1 g aspirin

n = m/MM = 0.752/180.15 = 4.17 X 10-3 mole

3.5: Percent Composition of Compounds

❑ % Composition of an element =
n x molar mass of element
X 100%
molar mass of compound
n is the number of moles of the element in 1 mole of the compound

Example: Ethanol C2 H6 O
2 x (12.01 g)
%C = x 100% = 52.14%
46.07 g
6 x (1.008 g)
%H = x 100% = 13.13%
46.07 g
1 x (16.00 g)
%O = x 100% = 34.73%
46.07 g

Total % = 52.14% + 13.13% + 34.73% = 100.0%

Example 3.8

Phosphoric acid (H3PO4)

Calculate % composition by mass of H, P, and O in this compound.

3 x (1.008 g) H
%H = x 100% = 3.086%
97.99 g

1 x (130.97 g)
%P = x 100% = 31.61%
97.99 g

4 x (16 g)
%O = x 100% = 65.31%
97.99 g
Example
Metallic iron is most often extracted from hematite ore, which consists of iron(III)
oxide mixed with impurities such as silicon dioxide.
a. What are the % Fe and % O in iron(III) oxide? MM (Fe) = 55.85 g/mol ,
MM (Fe2O3) = 159.7 g/mol
b. How many grams of iron can be extracted from one kilogram of Fe2O3?

a. % Fe = 2(55.85) / 159.7 = 69.94 %

% O = 100% - % Fe = 100% - 69.94 = 30.06%
b. 1 kg of Fe2O3 = 1000 g of Fe2O3

69.94 g of Fe 100 g of Fe2O3

....?... g of Fe 1000 g of Fe2O3

mass of Fe = 69.94 X (1000 / 100) = 699.4 g Fe

Simplest Formula from Chemical Analysis
If mass % of the
elements are given in a
compound. Assume a
100 g sample and
calculate the mass of
each element in that
sample.

OR
Examples
1) Determine the empirical formula of a compound that has the
following: K = 24.75 g, Mn = 34.77 g, O = 40.51 g.
Answer
1 mol K
nK = 24.75 g K x = 0.6330 mol K
39.10 g K
1 mol Mn
nMn = 34.77 g Mn x = 0.6329 mol Mn
54.94 g Mn
1 mol O
nO = 40.51 g O x = 2.532 mol O
16.00 g O
0.6330 ~ 0.6329 2.532 ~
K: ~ 1.0 Mn : = 1.0 O: ~ 4.0
0.6329 0.6329 0.6329
the empirical formula of a compound is KMnO4
Examples
2) A 25 g sample of an orange compound contains 6.64 g of
potassium (K), 8.84 g of chromium (Cr), and 9.52 g of oxygen (O).
Find the simplest formula.
Solution 1 mol K
nK = 6.64 g K x = 0.170 mol K
39.10 g K
1 mol Cr
nCr = 8.84 g Cr x = 0.170 mol Cr
52.00 g Cr
1 mol O
nO = 9.52 g O x = 0.595 mol O
16.00 g O
0.170 ~ 0.170 0.595 ~
K: ~ 1.0 Cr : = 1.0 O: ~ 3.5
0.170 0.170 0.170
multiply all ratios by 2. 2 K : 2 Cr : 7 O K2Cr2O7
Example 3.10

Chalcopyrite (CuFeS2) is a principal mineral of copper. Calculate

the number of kilograms of Cu in 3.71 × 103 kg of chalcopyrite.
The molar masses of Cu and CuFeS2 are 63.55 g and 183.5 g,
respectively
Solution

63.55
% Cu = X100 =34.63 %
183.5

mass of Cu in CuFeS2 = 0.3463 × (3.71 × 103 kg) = 1.28 × 103 kg

Molecular Formula from Simplest Formula
☺ STRATEGY
1) Determine the molar mass of the simplest formula.
2) Find the ratio to get the integer number.

actual molar mass (MMa)

Ratio =
simplest formula molar mass (MMs)

3) To get the molecular formula, multiply all subscripts in the

simplest formula by the ratio.
Common Fractions:
0.25 0.33 0.50 0.66 0.75
1/4 1/3 1/2 2/3 3/4
Examples
1) The molar mass of acetic acid, as determined with a mass
spectrometer, is about 60 g/mol. The empirical formula of this
compound is CH2O. Using that information to determine the
molecular formula of acetic acid.
Solution
MMa = 60 g/mol
For CH2O MMs = (1 x 12) + (2 X 1) + (1 X 16) = 30 g/mol

Ratio = MMa / MMs = 60 / 30 = 2

C2x1 H2x2 O2x1

The molecular formula of acetic acid is C 2 H4 O 2
Example 3.11

A sample of a compound contains 30.46 percent nitrogen and 69.54

percent oxygen by mass, as determined by a mass spectrometer. In a
separate experiment, the molar mass of the compound is found to be
between 90 g and 95 g. Determine the molecular formula and the
accurate molar mass of the compound.
Let n represent the number of moles of each element so that

1 mol N
nN = 30.46 g N x = 2.174 mol N
39.10 g N

1 mol O
nO = 69.54 g O x = 3.346 mol O
16 g O
dividing the subscripts by the smaller subscript (2.174). After
rounding off, we obtain NO2 as the empirical formula
 empirical molar mass = 14.01 g + 2(16.0 g) = 46.01 g

➢ Find the ratio to get the integer number.

actual molar mass (MMa) 90 g
Ratio = ------------------------------------------------ = -------- ≈ 2
simplest formula molar mass (MMs) 46.01

This means that there are two NO2 units

in each molecule of the compound, and the molecular formula is (NO2)2 or N2O4

➢ To get the molecular formula, multiply all subscripts in the

simplest formula by the ratio.

The actual molar mass of the compound = 2 x 46.01 g = 92.02 g

which is between 90 g and 95 g.
3.6 Experimental Determination of Empirical Formulas

❑ Determine the masses of the elements from the masses

of the new compounds that are obtained from the
combustion experiment.

Figure 3.6 Apparatus for determining the empirical formula of ethanol. The
absorbers are substances that can retain water and carbon dioxide, respectively.
CuO is used to ensure complete combustion of all carbon to CO2.
As a specific example, let us consider the compound ethanol.
When ethanol is burned in an apparatus, carbon dioxide (CO2) and
water (H2O) are given off.

Because neither carbon (C) nor hydrogen (H) was in the inlet gas,
we can conclude that both C and H were present in ethanol and
that oxygen (O) may also be present. (O2 was added in the
combustion process, but some of the oxygen may also have come
from the original ethanol sample.)

The masses of CO2 and of H2O produced can be determined by

measuring the increase in mass of the CO2 and H2O absorbers,
respectively. Suppose that in one experiment the combustion of
11.5 g of ethanol produced 22.0 g of CO2 and 13.5 g of H2O. We
can calculate the mass of carbon and hydrogen in the original
11.5-g sample of ethanol as follows:
Example
Ethanol contains the elements carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen.
When 11.5 g of ethanol are burned in air, 22 g of CO2 and 13.5
g of H2O are obtained. What is the simplest formula of ethanol?
Solution
1. Find the mass of C and H by using the conversion factors.
12 g of C 44 g of CO2
....?... g of C 22 g of CO2
mass of C = 22 X (12 / 44) = 6 g C

2X1 g of H 18 g of H2O
....?... g of H 13.5 g of H2O
mass of H = 13.5 X (2 / 18) = 1.5 g H
2. Find the mass of O by difference.

mass of sample = mass of C + mass of H + mass of O

11.5 = 6 + 1.5 + mass of O

Mass of O = 4 g

3. Convert masses to amounts in moles.

1 mol C
nC = 6 gC = 0.5 mol C
12 g C
1 mol H
nH = 1.5 g H  = 1.5 mol H
1g H
1 mol O
nO = 4gO = 0.25 mol O
16 g O
 4. Find the ratio (divided with the smallest mole).

0.5 1.5 0.25

C: ~2
~ H: ≈6 O: =1
0.25 0.25 0.25

2C:6H:1O

The empirical formula is C 2 H6 O

3.7 Chemical Reactions and Chemical Equations
❖ Chemical reaction is a process in which one or more
substances is changed into one or more new substances
❖ A chemical equation uses chemical symbols to show what
happens during a chemical reaction
❖ Chemical equations represent chemical reactions
– Reactants appear on the left
– Products appear on the right
– Equation must be balanced
• Number of atoms of each element on the left equals the
number of atoms of each element on the right

reactants products
Writing Chemical Equations
1. Write a skeleton equation for the reaction.
2. Indicate the physical state of each reactant and
product (solid (s), liquid (l), gas (g), and aqueous
(aq).
3. Balance the equation
– Only the coefficients can be changed; subscripts are
fixed by chemical nature of the reactants and products
– It is best to balance atoms that appear only once on
each side of the equation first.
 Balancing Chemical Equations

1. Write the correct formula(s) for the reactants on

the left side and the correct formula(s) for the
product(s) on the right side of the equation.

Ethane reacts with oxygen to form carbon dioxide and water

C2H6 + O2 CO2 + H2O

2. Change the numbers in front of the formulas

(coefficients) to make the number of atoms of
each element the same on both sides of the
equation. Do not change the subscripts.
2C2H6 NOT C4H12
3. Start by balancing those elements that appear in
only one reactant and one product.
C2H6 + O2 CO2 + H2O start with C or H but not O

2 carbon 1 carbon multiply CO2 by 2

on left on right
C2H6 + O2 2CO2 + H2O

6 hydrogen 2 hydrogen
multiply H2O by 3
on left on right
C2H6 + O2 2CO2 + 3H2O
4. Balance those elements that appear in two or
more reactants or products.

C2H6 + O2 2CO2 + 3H2O multiply O2 by 7

2

2 oxygen 4 oxygen + 3 oxygen = 7 oxygen

on left (2x2) (3x1) on right

C2H6 + 7 O2 remove fraction

2CO2 + 3H2O
2 multiply both sides by 2
2C2H6 + 7O2 4CO2 + 6H2O
5. Check to make sure that you have the same
number of each type of atom on both sides of the
equation.

2C2H6 + 7O2 4CO2 + 6H2O

4 C (2 x 2) 4C
12 H (2 x 6) 12 H (6 x 2)
14 O (7 x 2) 14 O (4 x 2 + 6)
Reactants Products
4C 4C
12 H 12 H
14 O 14 O
Examples
❑ Balance the following equations.
Al + O2 ⟶ Al2O3
O2 + PCl 3 → POCl 3

P4 + N 2O → P4O6 + N2

As 2S 3 + O2 → As 2O 3 + SO 2

Ca 3 (PO 4 )2 + H 3 PO 4 → Ca(H 2 PO 4 )2
Answer

➢4 Al +3 O2 ⟶ 2 Al2O3

O 2 + 2 PCl 3 → 2 POCl 3

P4 + 6 N 2O → P4O6 + 6 N 2

2 As 2S 3 + 9 O 2 → 2 As 2O 3 + 6 SO 2

Ca 3 (PO 4 )2 + 4 H 3 PO 4 → 3Ca(H 2 PO 4 )2
3.8 Amounts of Reactants and Products

1. Write balanced chemical equation

2. Convert quantities of known substances into moles
3. Use coefficients in balanced equation to calculate the
number of moles of the sought quantity
4. Convert moles of sought quantity into desired units
Amounts of Reactants and Products

❖ The coefficients of a balanced equation represent the numbers

of moles of reactants and products
2 N2H4 (l) + N2O4 (l) → 3 N2 (g) + 4 H2O (l)
2 mol N2H4 + 1 mol N2O4 → 3 mol N2 + 4 mol H2O
Example
❑ Ammonia is used to make fertilizers for lawns and gardens by
reacting nitrogen gas with hydrogen gas.
❑ The balanced equation for the reaction is
N2(g) + 3H2(g) 2NH3(g)
a. How many moles of ammonia are formed when 1.34 mole of
nitrogen react?
b. How many grams of hydrogen are required to produce 2.75
X103 g of ammonia?
c. How many molecules of ammonia are formed when 2.92 g of
hydrogen react?
 Answer
a. 1 mole of N2 2 mole of NH3
1.34 mole of N2 ...?....mole of NH3
moles of NH3 = 1.34 X (2 / 1) = 2.68

b. 3 mole of H2 2 mole of NH3

(3X2) = 6 g of H2 (2X17) = 34 g of NH3
….?.. g of H2 2.75 X103 g of NH3
mass of H2 = 2.75 X103 X (6 / 34) = 485.3 g
C.
3 mole of H2 2 mole of NH3
(2.92/2) = 1.46 mole of H2 ..?.. mole of NH3
moles of NH3 = 1.46 X (2 / 3) = 0.973
No. of NH3 molecules = moles of NH3 X NA
= 0.973 X 2.022 X1023 = 5.85 X1023
Example 3.13
Example 3.14
Example

Methanol burns in air according to the equation

2CH3OH + 3O2 2CO2 + 4H2O
If 209 g of methanol are used up in the combustion, what
mass of water is produced?
grams CH3OH moles CH3OH moles H2O grams H2O

molar mass coefficients molar mass

CH3OH chemical equation H2O

1 mol CH3OH 4 mol H2O 18.0 g H2O

209 g CH3OH x x x =
32.0 g CH3OH 2 mol CH3OH 1 mol H2O

235 g H2O
3.9 Limiting Reactants

limiting excess
reactant reactant
Limiting Reactants

❑It is the reactant that is completely

consumed in a reaction.

Example: 2H2 + O2 → 2H2O

❖ Suppose we have a mixture of 10 mol H2 and 7 mol O2.
Then, how many moles of O2 will be used?
Since 2 moles of H2 consume 1 mole of O2, 10 moles of
H2 will consume 5 moles of O2 to produce 10 moles of
H2O → We have 7 mol – 5 mol = 2 mol of excess
oxygen.
➢ Hydrogen is the limiting reactant !
Limiting Reactants

2H2 + O2 → H2O
Initial quantities : 10 mol 7 mol 0 mol
Changes : −10 mol −5 mol 10 mol

Final quantities : 0 mol 2 mol 10 mol

 Approach to Limiting Reactant Problems
1. Calculate the amount of product that will form if
the first reactant were completely consumed.
2. Repeat the calculation for the second reactant in
the same way.
3. Choose the smaller amount of product and relate
it to the reactant that produced it.
❑ This is the limiting reactant and the resulting
amount of product is the theoretical yield.
4. From the theoretical yield, determine how much of
the reactant in excess is used, and subtract from
the starting amount.
Example 3.15
3.10 Reaction Yield

3.10 Reaction Yield

Example 3.17

% Yield= (actual yield / theoretical yield) X 100%

% Yield= (7.91 x106 / 8.93 x 103) X 100% =88.4 %
Example
Consider the reaction 2Sb(s) + 3I2(s) 2SbI3(s)
Determine the limiting reactant and the theoretical yield
when a)1.20 mol of Sb and 2.40 mol of I2 are mixed.
b)1.20 g of Sb and 2.40 g of I2 are mixed. What mass of
excess reactant is left when the reaction is complete?
Solution
a. 2 mole of Sb 2 mole of SbI3
1.20 mole of Sb ...?....mole of SbI3
moles of SbI3 = 1.20 X (2 / 2) = 1.2 mol
3 mole of I2 2 mole of SbI3
2.4 mole of I2 ...?....mole of SbI3
moles of SbI3 = 2.4 X (2 / 3) = 1.6 mol
1.20 mol of Sb (1.2) <1.60 mol of I2 (1.6)
❖ The limiting reactant is Sb.
The theoretical yield is 1.20 mol SbI3
 2 mole of Sb 2 mole of SbI3
b. (1.20/121.8) mole of Sb ...?....mole of SbI3
moles of SbI3 = (1.20/121.8) X (2 / 2) = 0.00985 mol

3 mole of I2 2 mole of SbI3

(2.4/253.8 mole of I2) ...?....mole of SbI3
moles of SbI3 = (2.4/253.8) X (2 / 3) = 0.006304 mol
▪ mol of I2 (0.006304) < mol of Sb (0.00985)
▪ The limiting reactant is I2.
▪ The theoretical yield is 0.006304 mol SbI3

(2X121.8) g of Sb (3X253.8) g of I2
....?... g of Sb 2.4 g of I2
mass of Sb reacted = 2.4 (2X121.8)/(3 X 253.8) = 0.768 g Sb
mass unreacted = mass initially - mass used up
= 1.20 - 0.768 =0.43 g
 Continue to the previous problem
Suppose that in part (a) of the previous problem the
percent yield is 78.2%. How many grams of SbI3 are
formed? solution
actual yield
%Yield = 100%
theoretical yield
78.2%= (actual yield / 1.20 mol) X 100%

Actual yield = 0.938 mol of SbI3

Mass of SbI3 = 0.938 X 502.5 = 472 g of SbI3
 End of Chapter 3

60