Question

A sample of cinnabar, an ore containing mercury, weighs 681 grams. After smelting, it yields 587 grams of pure mercury. What is the percent composition of mercury in the ore?

Answer 1

Answer:

86.2% of Hg in the ore

Explanation:

Percent composition is defined as one hundred times the ratio between mass of an element in a compound and total mass of the compound. Formula is:

$% composition = \frac{Mass element}{Total mass} *100$% composition =  $\frac{Mass Element}{Total Mass} *100$

If an ore weights 681g and contains 587g of mercury, percent composition is:

(587g Hg / 681g) × 100 = 86.2% of Hg in the ore

Answer 2

86%
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