Question

Calculate the percentage by mass of the indicated element in the following compounds. Hydrogen in ascorbic acid, HC6H7O6, also known as vitamin C. Express your answer using two significant figures

Answer 1

Answer: The mass percent of hydrogen in ascorbic acid is 4.5 %

Step-by-step explanation:

In
`C_6H_8O_6`, there are 6 carbon atoms, 8 hydrogen atoms and 6 oxygen atoms.

To calculate the mass percent of element in a given compound, we use the formula:

`\text{Mass percent of hydrogen}=\frac{\text{Mass of hydrogen}}{\text{Molar mass of ascorbic acid}}* 100`

Mass of hydrogen =
`8* 1g/mol=8g`

Molar Mass of ascorbic acid =
`6* 12g/mol+8* 1g/mol+6* 16g/mol=176g`

Putting values in above equation, we get:

`\text{Mass percent of hydrogen}=(8g)/(176)* 100=4.5\%`

Hence, the mass percent of of hydrogen in ascorbic acid is 4.5 %.