Why is percent composition important in chemistry?
1 Answer
Percent composition is a starting point which can be used to find empirical formulas which can lead to molecular formulas for compounds with covalent bonding.
Explanation:
Having information about the percent composition of a compound will allow you to determine the mole:mole ratio of elements present in a compound.
Once you have this, you can find the ratio of ions in a compound. For example, the ratio of calcium to chlorine ions in calcium chloride is 1:2 so the chemical formula for this compound is
If you know molecular weight and empirical formula for a covalently bonded compound you can calculate molecular formulas.
Here are some videos to demonstrate these types of calculations.
video from: Noel Pauller
video from: Noel Pauller
video from: Noel Pauller
video from: Noel Pauller
Hope this helps!
