An oxide of copper in a porcelain boat was reduced by a steam of hydrogen. The results obtained were as follows, Mass of porcelain boat=4.5g, Mass of boat+ oxide=6.40g, Mass of boat+ copper=6.02g. i) Determine the empirical formula of the oxide ii) If the relative formula mass of the oxide is 80, determine its chemical formula ( Cu=64, O=16 )

Sure, let's solve this step by step.

i) First, we need to find the mass of copper and oxygen in the oxide.

Mass of copper = Mass of boat + copper - Mass of porcelain boat = 6.02g - 4.5g = 1.52g

Mass of oxide = Mass of boat + oxide - Mass of porcelain boat = 6.40g - 4.5g = 1.9g

So, the mass of oxygen = Mass of oxide - Mass of copper = 1.9g - 1.52g = 0.38g

Next, we convert these masses to moles.

Moles of copper = Mass of copper / Atomic mass of copper = 1.52g / 64g/mol = 0.02375 mol

Moles of oxygen = Mass of oxygen / Atomic mass of oxygen = 0.38g / 16g/mol = 0.02375 mol

The ratio of moles of copper to oxygen is 1:1, so the empirical formula of the oxide is CuO.

ii) The relative formula mass of CuO is 64 (for Cu) + 16 (for O) = 80. This matches the given relative formula mass of the oxide, so the chemical formula of the oxide is also CuO.