Question

Find the molecular mass of Sulphuric Acid.

Answer 1

Hint: Molecular mass is the sum of individual atoms in the molecule. Start the question by writing the chemical formula of sulphuric acid and then add the molar mass of individual atoms.

Complete step by step answer:
Sulphuric acid is composed of sulphur, oxygen and hydrogen.
The chemical formula of Sulphuric acid is given as – \[{{H}_{2}}S{{O}_{4}}\].
As we can see from the chemical formula given above, Sulphuric acid has 2 atoms of hydrogen, 1 atom of Sulphur and 4 atoms of oxygen.
Therefore, to calculate molecular mass, we need to add the individual weights, i.e.
Molecular mass of Sulphuric Acid = (2 X Molar mass of Hydrogen) + (1 X Molar mass of Sulphur) + (4 X Molar mass of Oxygen)
From The periodic table, we can find that –
Molar mass of Hydrogen = 1.01 g/mol
Molar mass of Sulphur = 32.06 g/mol
Molar mass of Oxygen = 16 g/mol
The molar mass of any element or compound is expressed in g/mol.
Therefore, the molecular mass of
\[=\left( 2\times1.01 \right)+\left( 1\times32.06 \right)+\left( 4\times16 \right)\text{g/mol}\]
\[=\text{ }2.02+32.06+64\text{ }g/mol\]
\[=\text{ }98.08\text{ }g/mol\]
Therefore, the answer is 98.08 g/mol.

Additional Information: Sulphuric acid is also known as oil of vitriol.

Note: Sulphuric acid is a very strong acid. It is diprotic, i.e. it can release two protons in an aqueous solution. It is a very strong oxidising agent and it reacts with metals at high temperature. It is also a very strong and efficient dehydrating agent. It finds use in various industries, such as – petroleum refining, wastewater processing etc.