Carbon forms two oxides which have different compositions.The equivalent mass of which remains constant?

Options

A. oxygen
B. carbon
C. both carbon and oxygen
D. neither carbon nor oxygen

Answer

A

Explanation

The equivalent mass of a substance have different value under different conditions, it varies with valency.Let us consider the two oxides of carbon viz. CO and `CO_(2)`. In CO, 12 parts of carbon combine with 16 parts of oxygen thus equivalent mass of carbon in CO is `(12 xx8)/(16) = 6.0`. In `CO_(2)`, 12 parts of carbon combine with 32 parts of oxygen, thus the equivalent mass of carbon in this oxide is `(12 xx 8)/(32 = 3.0`.