How Many Grams of Oxygen Are Present in 1 Gram of Sucrose?

Sucrose, known by its molecular formula C12H22O11, is a common sugar used in cooking and food production. Understanding the composition of sucrose, particularly the amount of oxygen it contains, can be fundamental for various applications. In this article, we will explore how to calculate the grams of oxygen present in 1 gram of sucrose using basic principles of chemistry.

Understanding the Molecular Formula of Sucrose

The molecular formula of sucrose is C12H22O11. This means that each molecule of sucrose contains 12 carbon atoms, 22 hydrogen atoms, and 11 oxygen atoms. The molecular weight of sucrose can be calculated by summing the atomic weights of all the atoms in a molecule:

Calculating the Molar Mass of Sucrose

Let's start by calculating the molar mass of sucrose:

Therefore, the molar mass of sucrose is calculated as follows:

text{Molar mass of sucrose} 12 times 12.01 22 times 1.008 11 times 16.00 144.12 22.176 176.00 342.296 text{ g/mol}

Calculating the Total Mass of Oxygen in Sucrose

The total mass of oxygen in one mole of sucrose can be calculated as:

text{Mass of oxygen} 11 times 16.00 176.00 text{ g}

This means that out of 342.296 g of sucrose (the molar mass), 176.00 g is oxygen.

Calculating the Proportion of Oxygen in Sucrose

The proportion of oxygen in sucrose is given by:

text{Proportion of oxygen} frac{176.00 text{ g}}{342.296 text{ g}} approx 0.514

Calculating Grams of Oxygen in 1 Gram of Sucrose

To find the grams of oxygen in 1 gram of sucrose, we multiply the proportion of oxygen by the mass of sucrose:

text{Grams of oxygen} 0.514 times 1 text{ g} approx 0.514 text{ g}

Therefore, there are approximately 0.514 grams of oxygen in 1 gram of sucrose.