Question

If all atoms had the same mass, and 8 grams of oxygen still reacted with 1 gram of hydrogen, what would be the formula for water?

Short answer

The formula for water would be HO8 with equal atom mass assumption.

Step-by-step solution

Understand the Problem

We have a reaction between oxygen and hydrogen to form water. Normally, water is formed by combining two hydrogen atoms with one oxygen atom, i.e., H2O. Our task is to find the formula for water assuming all atoms have the same mass.

Calculate the Existing Mass Ratio

In the real-world scenario, 8 grams of oxygen react with 1 gram of hydrogen to form water. This gives us an oxygen to hydrogen mass ratio of 8:1.

Adjust for Equal Mass Atoms

Assume each atom, including hydrogen and oxygen, has the same mass. Given the mass ratio of 8:1, we can deduce that one oxygen atom combines with eight hydrogen atoms because the mass ratio of 1 oxygen to 8 hydrogen atoms fulfills the 8:1 ratio when atom masses are equal.

Determine Water Formula with Equal Mass Atom Assumption

With the assumption of equal atom mass, the formula for water is HO8 to maintain the known mass ratio of 8 grams of oxygen to 1 gram of hydrogen when each atom has the same mass.

Key concepts

Stoichiometry

Stoichiometry is a branch of chemistry that deals with understanding the quantitative relationships in chemical reactions. It's like a recipe, but for chemical compounds.
By knowing how elements in compounds are balanced, students can predict products and quantities for reactions. For example, if you know water is made by combining hydrogen and oxygen, stoichiometry will help you predict exactly how many molecules of hydrogen and oxygen are needed to create water.
To work through stoichiometric calculations, we typically:

• Start with a balanced chemical equation.
• Use the molar ratios of the reactants and products from the equation.
• Convert masses to moles or vice versa using molecular weights.

Understanding stoichiometry is essential for problems such as determining the formula for a compound like water based on variable atom masses, as given in the exercise. By adjusting assumptions about the atom masses, a new molecular formula maintaining the original mass ratio is derived. This exercise leverages stoichiometric principles by shifting our understanding of mass consistency - ensuring the revised formula HO8 reflects the new equilibrium in atom masses.

Molecular Mass

The concept of molecular mass helps us understand the weight of a chemical compound, crucial for stoichiometry and chemical reactions. It is determined by adding up all the atomic masses of the atoms in a molecule.
In many exercises, knowing how to calculate molecular mass aids in converting between moles and grams. This process involves:

• Identifying the atomic mass of each element from the periodic table.
• Multiplying the atomic mass by the number of times the element appears in the molecule.
• Summing these values to get the total molecular mass.

In our hypothetical scenario, assume every atom has a uniform "unit" mass. This changes previous norms where oxygen (normally heavier) outweighs hydrogen, impacting the form of molecules resulting in variations for the compound's formula like shifting from H2O to HO8, meeting the mass ratio given originally.

Chemical Reactions

Chemical reactions are transformations where substances change into different substances, creating new compounds, by breaking and forming bonds between atoms.
When we talk about chemical reactions in exercises, we are often examining how reactants come together to form products, as with oxygen and hydrogen forming water. Key aspects to recognize are:

• Reactants and products must be identified clearly.
• Balanced reactions ensure atom conservation across reactants and products, obeying the law of conservation of mass.
• Understanding the specific role of each reactant helps determine possible product formation.

In the textbook problem, attention is focused on manipulation of a reaction's inputs (oxygen and hydrogen) considering the equal atomic masses. Here, traditional understanding is inverted, impacting the chemical outcome to give us led candidates of formulas for water that honor mass equilibrium based on stoichiometry.