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Ch.2 - Atoms & Elements
Chapter 2, Problem 36

The mass ratio of sodium to fluorine in sodium fluoride is 1.21:1. A sample of sodium fluoride produces 45.1 g of sodium upon decomposition. How much fluorine (in grams) forms?

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Identify the given mass ratio of sodium to fluorine in sodium fluoride, which is 1.21:1.
Understand that this ratio means for every 1.21 grams of sodium, there is 1 gram of fluorine.
Given that the sample produces 45.1 grams of sodium, set up a proportion to find the mass of fluorine: \( \frac{\text{mass of sodium}}{\text{mass of fluorine}} = \frac{1.21}{1} \).
Substitute the given mass of sodium into the proportion: \( \frac{45.1}{x} = \frac{1.21}{1} \), where \( x \) is the mass of fluorine.
Solve the proportion for \( x \) to find the mass of fluorine.

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Key Concepts

Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.

Stoichiometry

Stoichiometry is the branch of chemistry that deals with the quantitative relationships between the reactants and products in a chemical reaction. It allows chemists to predict the amounts of substances consumed and produced in a reaction based on balanced chemical equations. Understanding stoichiometry is essential for solving problems involving mass ratios and conversions between different substances.
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Molar Mass

Molar mass is the mass of one mole of a substance, typically expressed in grams per mole (g/mol). It is calculated by summing the atomic masses of all the atoms in a molecule. In the context of sodium fluoride (NaF), knowing the molar masses of sodium (Na) and fluorine (F) is crucial for determining the mass of fluorine produced when a specific mass of sodium is decomposed.
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Mass Ratio

The mass ratio is a comparison of the mass of one substance to the mass of another substance in a compound. In sodium fluoride, the mass ratio of sodium to fluorine is given as 1.21:1, indicating that for every 1.21 grams of sodium, there is 1 gram of fluorine. This ratio is vital for calculating the amount of fluorine produced from a known mass of sodium, as it provides a direct relationship between the two elements.
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