Question

What is the formula for barium acetate?

Answer 1

Hint: The definition of molar mass and the composition of sodium sulphate and accordingly write its formula. Empirical formula shows the simplest whole-number ratio of atoms in a compound whereas molecular formula shows the number of each type of atom in a molecule. The molar mass of a chemical compound is the mass of that compound multiplied by the number of atoms in that compound, measured in moles.

Complete step by step answer:
In order to write the molecular formula of a compound, the steps are as follows:
- We write the symbol of the element along with its charge from the periodic table.
- If there is a polyatomic ion in the compound, we find its name and charge.
- We balance the charges by adding the subscripts.
The given compound is barium acetate. The constituents are barium and the acetate ion. The symbol for Barium is $Ba$ and it carries a $ + 2$ charge as it belongs to the group $2$ of the periodic table. The symbol for acetate is $C{H_3}CO{O^ - }$ and it carries a $ - 1$ charge. To balance the positive charge on the Barium ions, 2 acetate ions are required since each carries a $ - 1$ charge. Hence, the formula becomes $Ba{(C{H_3}COO)_2}$.
Note: It's worth noting that the molar mass of a compound is known by many common names. The density of one mole of a substance in grammes per mole is referred to as molecular mass, molecular weight, or gramme formula mass, among other terms. Even, though the atomic masses of the various elements in a periodic table are often decimals, for the sake of simplicity, the estimated entire integer is used in calculations.