If an Alka-Seltzer tablet contained 309 mg of aspirin, #1.927 xx 10^03# mg of sodium hydrogen carbonate, and #1.004 xx 10^03#mg of citric acid and nothing else, what is the percent, by mass, of sodium hydrogen carbonate in the tablet?

Question

8380 views around the world

You can reuse this answer
Creative Commons License

Answer 1 · 2016-10-01T22:34:10

The percent composition of sodium hydrogen carbonate #("NaHCO"_3")# in the Alka-Seltzer tablet is 59.5%.

Percent composition is determined by dividing the mass of the specified compound by the total mass, then multiply by 100.

#"Percent composition"="mass of specified component"/"total mass"xx100"#

Add the masses of the compounds.

#("309 mg")+(1.927xx10^3 "mg")+(1.004xx10^3"mg")=3.24xx10^3 "mg"#

Divide the mass of sodium hydrogen carbonate #"NaHCO"_3"# by the total mass of the tablet, then multiply by 100.

#"Percent composition of NaHCO"_3=(1.927xx10^3"mg HCO"_3)/(3.24xx10^3"mg")xx100="59.5% NaHCO"_3"#