Joseph Priestley discovered oxygen in 1774 by heating mercury(II)oxide.The compound decomposes into its elements.How much oxygen,O₂,is produced by the decomposition of 25 g of HgO?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

According to the balanced chemical equation: 2HgO --> 2Hg + O2, the molar ratio of HgO to O2 is 2:1. Therefore, to calculate the amount of oxygen produced, we need to first convert 25 g of HgO to moles (using its molar mass of 216.59 g/mol) and then use the mole ratio to determine the moles of O2 produced.

25 g HgO x (1 mol HgO/216.59 g HgO) x (1 mol O2/2 mol HgO) x (32.00 g O2/mol O2) = 8 g O2

Therefore, the correct answer is A)1)8 g.

Joseph Priestley Discovered Oxygen in 1774 by Heating Mercury(II)oxide