Empirical Formula of Sulfur & Oxygen Compound

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around determining the empirical formula of a compound formed from sulfur and oxygen, based on a given mass of each element. Participants explore the implications of oxygen's diatomic nature and its role in the compound's formula.

Discussion Character

  • Homework-related
  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • One participant calculates the mass of oxygen as 1.92 g and converts the masses of sulfur and oxygen to moles, questioning whether to treat oxygen as O2 or just O in the compound.
  • Another participant asserts that when oxygen combines with another element, it is no longer in diatomic form, suggesting that the empirical formula should not include O2.
  • There is a claim that SO6 is not a recognized compound unless sulfur has a valence of 12, which raises questions about the validity of the initial calculations.
  • A later reply supports the idea that a single oxygen atom has combined with sulfur, indicating a shift from considering diatomic oxygen.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on whether to consider oxygen as diatomic in this context. There is no consensus on the correct empirical formula, as some participants challenge the existence of SO6 and the assumptions made in the calculations.

Contextual Notes

Participants have not resolved the implications of treating oxygen as O versus O2, and there are unresolved questions regarding the valence of sulfur in the context of the compound.

asadpasat
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Please post this type of questions in HW section using the template.
A sample of sulfur having a mass of 1.28 g combines with oxygen to form a compound with a mass of 3.2g. What is the empirical formula.
So what i did is found the mass of oxygen which is 1.92g . Then converted the 1.28g S to 0.04 mol. Then converted the 1.92g O2 (as it says oxygen, or should it be just O?) to get 0.24mol O. I found online that the answer should be SO3, but I get SO6 because of Oxygen. Should I not assume it is diatomic, and just go with as just element?
 
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asadpasat said:
A sample of sulfur having a mass of 1.28 g combines with oxygen to form a compound with a mass of 3.2g. What is the empirical formula.
So what i did is found the mass of oxygen which is 1.92g . Then converted the 1.28g S to 0.04 mol. Then converted the 1.92g O2 (as it says oxygen, or should it be just O?) to get 0.24mol O. I found online that the answer should be SO3, but I get SO6 because of Oxygen. Should I not assume it is diatomic, and just go with as just element?
When the oxygen is combined with another element in a compound, it is no longer in diatomic form. Plus, there's no such compound as SO6, AFAIK, unless the valence of S is 12 instead of 2.
 
SteamKing said:
When the oxygen is combined with another element in a compound, it is no longer in diatomic form. Plus, there's no such compound as SO6, AFAIK, unless the valence of S is 12 instead of 2.
So when it says that oxygen is combining it should be just O, not O2. If i understood correctly.
 
Yes a single oxygen atom has combined with some other element(s).
It may or may not have originally been an atom which was existing previously as part of diatomic oxygen.
 

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