What is the molecular mass of Cu2O?
The Correct Answer and Explanation is:
The molecular mass of copper(I) oxide (Cu2O) can be determined by summing the atomic masses of its constituent elements.
Atomic Masses:
- Copper (Cu): 63.55 g/mol
- Oxygen (O): 16.00 g/mol
Molecular Mass Calculation:
Cu2O consists of two copper (Cu) atoms and one oxygen (O) atom. Therefore, the molecular mass of Cu2O is calculated as:Molecular mass of Cu2O=2×atomic mass of Cu+1×atomic mass of O\text{Molecular mass of Cu2O} = 2 \times \text{atomic mass of Cu} + 1 \times \text{atomic mass of O}Molecular mass of Cu2O=2×atomic mass of Cu+1×atomic mass of OMolecular mass of Cu2O=2×63.55 g/mol+1×16.00 g/mol\text{Molecular mass of Cu2O} = 2 \times 63.55 \, \text{g/mol} + 1 \times 16.00 \, \text{g/mol}Molecular mass of Cu2O=2×63.55g/mol+1×16.00g/molMolecular mass of Cu2O=127.10 g/mol+16.00 g/mol\text{Molecular mass of Cu2O} = 127.10 \, \text{g/mol} + 16.00 \, \text{g/mol}Molecular mass of Cu2O=127.10g/mol+16.00g/molMolecular mass of Cu2O=143.10 g/mol\text{Molecular mass of Cu2O} = 143.10 \, \text{g/mol}Molecular mass of Cu2O=143.10g/mol
Explanation:
- Copper (Cu): The element copper has an atomic mass of 63.55 g/mol. Since there are two copper atoms in Cu2O, we multiply this by 2 to get the total mass contribution of copper: 2×63.55=127.10 g/mol2 \times 63.55 = 127.10 \, \text{g/mol}2×63.55=127.10g/mol.
- Oxygen (O): Oxygen has an atomic mass of 16.00 g/mol. Since there is one oxygen atom in Cu2O, its contribution is simply 1×16.00=16.00 g/mol1 \times 16.00 = 16.00 \, \text{g/mol}1×16.00=16.00g/mol.
- Summing the contributions: The total molecular mass of Cu2O is the sum of the contributions from copper and oxygen, which equals 127.10+16.00=143.10 g/mol127.10 + 16.00 = 143.10 \, \text{g/mol}127.10+16.00=143.10g/mol.
Thus, the molecular mass of Cu2O is 143.10 g/mol.
