Final answer:
To find the mass percent of oxygen in SO2, calculate the mass of oxygen and divide it by the total mass of the compound. The mass percent of oxygen in SO2 is 49.98%.
Step-by-step explanation:
To find the mass percent of oxygen in SO2, we need to calculate the mass of oxygen and divide it by the total mass of the compound. The molecular formula of SO2 shows that it contains one sulfur atom (S) and two oxygen atoms (O). The molar mass of sulfur is 32.06 g/mol and the molar mass of oxygen is 16.00 g/mol.
So the total molar mass of SO2 is 32.06 g/mol + 2 * 16.00 g/mol = 64.06 g/mol.
The mass of oxygen in SO2 is 2 * 16.00 g/mol = 32.00 g/mol.
The mass percent of oxygen in SO2 can be calculated as (32.00 g/mol / 64.06 g/mol) * 100% = 49.98% (rounded to two decimal places).