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Ch.3 - Molecules, Compounds & Chemical Equations
Chapter 3, Problem 75

Copper(II) fluoride contains 37.42% F by mass. Calculate the mass of fluorine (in g) in 55.5 g of copper(II) fluoride.

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1
Step 1: Understand the problem. We are given that Copper(II) fluoride contains 37.42% F by mass. This means that in every 100 g of Copper(II) fluoride, there are 37.42 g of Fluorine.
Step 2: We are asked to find the mass of fluorine in 55.5 g of Copper(II) fluoride. To do this, we can set up a proportion. If 37.42 g of F is in 100 g of Copper(II) fluoride, then x g of F is in 55.5 g of Copper(II) fluoride.
Step 3: Set up the proportion as follows: (37.42 g F / 100 g CuF2) = (x g F / 55.5 g CuF2).
Step 4: Solve for x by cross multiplying and dividing. This will give you the mass of F in 55.5 g of Copper(II) fluoride.
Step 5: The value of x obtained in step 4 is the mass of fluorine in 55.5 g of Copper(II) fluoride.

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Key Concepts

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

Mass Percent Composition

Mass percent composition is a way to express the concentration of an element in a compound, calculated as the mass of the element divided by the total mass of the compound, multiplied by 100. In this case, knowing that copper(II) fluoride contains 37.42% fluorine by mass allows us to determine the mass of fluorine in any given mass of the compound.
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Stoichiometry

Stoichiometry is the area of chemistry that deals with the relationships between the quantities of reactants and products in chemical reactions. It allows us to use the mass percent composition to calculate the mass of a specific element in a compound, which is essential for solving the problem of finding the mass of fluorine in copper(II) fluoride.
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Unit Conversion

Unit conversion is the process of converting a quantity expressed in one set of units to another set of units. In this context, it is important to ensure that the mass of copper(II) fluoride (55.5 g) is used correctly to find the mass of fluorine, applying the mass percent to convert from the total mass of the compound to the mass of the individual element.
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