The mineral pyrolusite is a compound of ⁵⁵Mn and ¹⁶O. If 63% of the mass of pyrolusite is due to manganese, what is the empirical formula of pyrolusite

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

To find the empirical formula, we need to determine the ratio of each element in the compound. Let x be the number of Mn atoms and y be the number of O atoms. Then we have:

Mass of Mn = 54.94 x

Mass of O = 16.00 y

Total mass of compound = 54.94 x + 16.00 y

We know that 63% of the mass is due to Mn, so:

54.94 x = 0.63 (54.94 x + 16.00 y)

54.94 x = 34.66 x + 10.08 y

20.28 x = 10.08 y

x/y = 0.5

So the empirical formula is MnO.

The Mineral Pyrolusite Is a Compound of 55Mn and 16O

The Mineral Pyrolusite Is a Compound of ⁵⁵Mn and ¹⁶O