Problem: Acetic acid (HC2H3O2) is the active ingredient in vinegar. Calculate the mass percent composition of oxygen in acetic acid.

FREE Expert Solution

mass percent=mass elementtotal mass of compound×100


First, we need to get the atomic weights of each element in HC2H3O2 using the periodic table and then calculate its molar mass.

molar mass H = 1.01 g/mol

molar mass C = 12.01 g/mol

molar mass O = 16.00 g/mol

molar mass HC2H3O2 = (1.01 g/mol x 4) + (12.01 g/mol x 2) + (16.00 g/mol x 2)

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Acetic acid (HC2H3O2) is the active ingredient in vinegar. Calculate the mass percent composition of oxygen in acetic acid.

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