Calculate the percentage of oxygen in sulphuric acid, `H_(2) SO_(4)`

Options

A. `82.18%`
B. `3.69%`
C. `65.31%`
D. `50%`

Explanation

To calculate the percentage of oxygen in sulfuric acid (H₂SO₄), we will follow these steps:

### Step 1: Determine the molar mass of H₂SO₄
- **Hydrogen (H)**: There are 2 hydrogen atoms, and the atomic mass of hydrogen is approximately 1 g/mol.
\[ \text{Mass of H} = 2 \times 1 = 2 \text{ g/mol} \]
- **Sulfur (S)**: There is 1 sulfur atom, and the atomic mass of sulfur is approximately 32 g/mol.
\[ \text{Mass of S} = 1 \times 32 = 32 \text{ g/mol} \]
- **Oxygen (O)**: There are 4 oxygen atoms, and the atomic mass of oxygen is approximately 16 g/mol.
\[ \text{Mass of O} = 4 \times 16 = 64 \text{ g/mol} \]

Now, we can calculate the total molar mass of H₂SO₄:
\[ \text{Molar mass of H₂SO₄} = \text{Mass of H} + \text{Mass of S} + \text{Mass of O} = 2 + 32 + 64 = 98 \text{ g/mol} \]

### Step 2: Calculate the mass of oxygen in H₂SO₄
From our previous calculation, we found that the total mass of oxygen in H₂SO₄ is:
\[ \text{Mass of O} = 64 \text{ g/mol} \]

### Step 3: Calculate the percentage of oxygen in H₂SO₄
To find the percentage of oxygen in sulfuric acid, we use the formula:
\[ \text{Percentage of O} = \left( \frac{\text{Mass of O}}{\text{Molar mass of H₂SO₄}} \right) \times 100 \]
Substituting the values we calculated:
\[ \text{Percentage of O} = \left( \frac{64}{98} \right) \times 100 \approx 65.31\% \]

### Final Answer
The percentage of oxygen in sulfuric acid (H₂SO₄) is approximately **65.31%**.

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