Question

Calculate the molecular mass of tetraphosphorus decaoxide, p4o10, a corrosive substance which can be used as a drying agent.

Answer 1

The molecular mass is the mass of all the atoms present in the molecule. The molecular mass of the compound is calculated using the steps:

1. Determine the atomic number of each element in the compound.

2. Each element's atomic mass is multiplied by the number of atoms in that element in the compound.

3. The mass of all the atoms are added up.

The given compound is:

$P_4O_{10}$

The atomic mass of $P = 30.974 u$

The atomic mass of $O = 15.999 u$

The molecular mass of $P_4O_{10}$ = $4\times 30.974+10\times 15.999$

The molecular mass of $P_4O_{10}$ =$123.896+159.99$ = $283.886 g/mol$

Hence, the molecular mass of $P_4O_{10}$ is $283.886 g/mol$.