Question

A metal (M) forms a compound with the formula MCl2. The compound contains 57.69% Cl by mass. Identify the metal in the compound? Give the symbol of the metal.

a. Cr
b. Mg
c. Ca
d. Cu

Answer 1

The metal in the compound MCl2 is Magnesium (Mg).

Step-by-step explanation:

The compound MCl2 contains 57.69% Cl by mass. To identify the metal in the compound, we need to determine the molar mass of Cl and find the metal that forms a compound with a molar mass equal to the compound's formula weight.

The molar mass of Cl is 35.45 g/mol. To find the molar mass of the compound, we can sum the molar masses of one Cl atom (35.45 g/mol) and two Cl atoms (70.91 g/mol). Since the compound's formula weight is equal to 70.91 g/mol, the metal in the compound is Magnesium (Mg), giving us the symbol Mg as the answer.