The percentage of zinc in `ZnSO_(4) . 7H_(2)O` is
(Zn = 65, S = 32, O = 16 H= 1)

Options

A. 23
B. 13
C. 17
D. 33

Explanation

To find the percentage of zinc in the compound \( ZnSO_4 \cdot 7H_2O \), we will follow these steps:

### Step 1: Calculate the molar mass of \( ZnSO_4 \cdot 7H_2O \)

1. **Find the molar mass of each component:**
- Zinc (Zn): 65 g/mol
- Sulfur (S): 32 g/mol
- Oxygen (O): There are 4 oxygen atoms in \( ZnSO_4 \), so \( 4 \times 16 = 64 \) g/mol
- Water (H2O): There are 7 water molecules, and the molar mass of water is \( 2 \times 1 + 16 = 18 \) g/mol. Thus, \( 7 \times 18 = 126 \) g/mol

2. **Add them together to find the total molar mass:**
\[ \text{Total molar mass} = \text{mass of Zn} + \text{mass of S} + \text{mass of O} + \text{mass of } 7H_2O \]
\[ = 65 + 32 + 64 + 126 = 287 \text{ g/mol} \]

### Step 2: Calculate the percentage of zinc in \( ZnSO_4 \cdot 7H_2O \)

1. **Use the formula for percentage:**
\[ \text{Percentage of Zn} = \left( \frac{\text{mass of Zn}}{\text{total mass of compound}} \right) \times 100 \]

2. **Substitute the values:**
\[ \text{Percentage of Zn} = \left( \frac{65}{287} \right) \times 100 \]

3. **Calculate the percentage:**
\[ = 22.65\% \]

4. **Round to the nearest whole number:**
\[ \approx 23\% \]

### Final Answer:
The percentage of zinc in \( ZnSO_4 \cdot 7H_2O \) is approximately **23%**.

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