Chapter 12: Problem 50
Caffeine, \(\mathrm{C}_{8} \mathrm{H}_{10} \mathrm{~N}_{4} \mathrm{O}_{2}\), is a stimulant found in tea and coffee. A sample of the substance was dissolved in \(45.0 \mathrm{~g}\) of chloroform, \(\mathrm{CHCl}_{3}\), to give a \(0.0946 \mathrm{~m}\) solution. How many grams of caffeine were in the sample?
Short Answer
Step by step solution
Understand molality
Identify the solvent's mass
Use molality to find moles of caffeine
Calculate the molar mass of caffeine
Convert moles of caffeine to grams
Conclusion
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Key Concepts
These are the key concepts you need to understand to accurately answer the question.
Molar Mass
Molar mass is calculated by adding up the atomic masses of the elements present in a compound. For caffeine, \(\mathrm{C}_{8}\mathrm{H}_{10}\mathrm{~N}_{4}\mathrm{O}_{2}\), this means multiplying the number of each type of atom by the atomic mass of those atoms and summing them together:
- Carbon (C) has an atomic mass of 12.01 g/mol, and there are 8 carbon atoms.
- Hydrogen (H) has an atomic mass of 1.01 g/mol, and there are 10 hydrogen atoms.
- Nitrogen (N) has an atomic mass of 14.01 g/mol, and there are 4 nitrogen atoms.
- Oxygen (O) has an atomic mass of 16.00 g/mol, with 2 oxygen atoms.
Solution Concentration
Molality is defined as the moles of solute divided by the kilograms of solvent, which differentiates it slightly from molarity. This is because molality is temperature-independent since it uses mass instead of volume.
For the given problem, the solution's molality is 0.0946 m, meaning there are 0.0946 moles of caffeine present per kilogram of chloroform. Given the solvent weight of 45.0 g, which is equal to 0.045 kg, we can multiply this to obtain moles of caffeine. This calculation provides us with a crucial step in determining how much caffeine is actually present in the sample, allowing conversion to grams using molar mass.
Caffeine Calculation
- The molality (0.0946 m) is multiplied by the kilograms of chloroform (0.045 kg).
- This results in approximately 0.004257 moles of caffeine.
- The number of moles (0.004257) is multiplied by caffeine's molar mass (194.22 g/mol).
- This results in approximately 0.826 grams of caffeine.