2 Part Stoichem Problem Solving
A) Washing soda, a compound used to prepare hard water for washing laundry, is a hydrate, which means that a certain number of water molecules are included in the solid structure. Its formula can be written as Na2CO3·x H2O, where x is the number of moles of H2O per mole of Na2CO3. When a 2.396-g sample of washing soda is heated at 125°C, all the water of hydration is lost, leaving 0.887 g of Na2CO3.
WHAT IS THE VALUE OF X?
B) Epsom salts, a strong laxative used in veterinary medicine, is a hydrate, which means that a certain number of water molecules are included in the solid structure. The formula for Epsom salts can be written as MgSO4 · x H2O, where x indicates the number of moles of H2O per mole of MgSO4. When 5.469 g of this hydrate is heated to 250°C, all the water of hydration is lost, leaving 2.671 g of MgSO4.
WHAT IS THE VALUE OF X?