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Topic: Percentage of Cu in mineral?  (Read 2641 times)

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Offline big

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Percentage of Cu in mineral?
« on: November 30, 2011, 06:03:39 PM »
The amount of copper in a 2.00 g sample of the mineral cuprite was determined by dissolving the sample in nitric acid (HNO3) to produce a copper nitrate [Cu(NO3)2] solution, and then adding an excess of iodide (I-) solution. The iodine (I2) liberated required 15.7 mL of a 0.200 molar sodium thiosulfate (Na2S2O3) solution to reach an end point. What is the percentage of Cu in the mineral? The essential reactions are:

2 Cu2+ + 4I-  :rarrow: 2 CuI + I2
I2 + 2 S2O32- :rarrow: S4O62- + 2 I-

A) 5.0%
B) 10%
C) 20%
D) 40%

I found the amount of moles of thiosulfate ion first by doing .0157 L*0.200 M=0.00314 moles S2O32-. Then I did dimensional analysis:
0.00314 moles S2O32-*(1 mole I2/2 moles S2O32-)*(2 moles Cu2+/1 mole I2)*(63.55 g/mol Cu)=0.199547g Cu.
Finally, I used this to find the percentage of copper in the original 2.00 g sample: 0.199547/2.00*100=9.98%, and so I put down B, but the answer is A. I must have not divided by 2 somewhere, but where, and why?

Offline Vidya

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Re: Percentage of Cu in mineral?
« Reply #1 on: November 30, 2011, 08:51:34 PM »
2 Cu2+ + 4I-  -----> 2 CuI + I2
 balance the equation

Offline Borek

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Re: Percentage of Cu in mineral?
« Reply #2 on: December 01, 2011, 12:24:34 PM »
2 Cu2+ + 4I-  -----> 2 CuI + I2
 balance the equation

It is balanced.

10% looks to me to be the correct answer - so B it is. See attached image.
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