Question

when a 16.50 - g sample containing nickel and oxygen is analyzed, 5.87 g of nickel are found. what is the percent composition of this mineral? round answer to 1 decimal point.
% nickel
% oxygen

Explanation:

Step1: Calculate the mass of oxygen

The mass of the sample is \(m_{sample}=16.50\space g\), and the mass of nickel is \(m_{Ni} = 5.87\space g\).
Using the formula \(m_{O}=m_{sample}-m_{Ni}\), we have \(m_{O}=16.50 - 5.87=10.63\space g\).

Step2: Calculate the percentage of nickel

The formula for percentage composition is \(\%\text{ component}=\frac{\text{mass of component}}{\text{mass of sample}}\times100\%\).
For nickel, \(\%\text{Ni}=\frac{5.87}{16.50}\times 100\%=\frac{587}{16.50}\% \approx 35.6\%\)

Step3: Calculate the percentage of oxygen

For oxygen, \(\%\text{O}=\frac{10.63}{16.50}\times 100\%=\frac{1063}{16.50}\% \approx 64.4\%\)

Answer:

\(35.6\%\) nickel, \(64.4\%\) oxygen