The Law of Multiple Proportions

Consider two different compounds of carbon and oxygen: carbon dioxide, CO2, and
carbon monoxide, CO. The number of oxygen atoms per carbon atom in CO2 is
double the number of oxygen atoms per carbon atom in CO. So we can predict that
the mass of oxygen per gram of carbon in CO2 is double the mass of oxygen per
gram of carbon in CO. And, in fact, if other carbon-oxygen compounds existed, we
could predict small, whole-number ratios for the masses of oxygen per gram of
carbon in all of them.

This is exactly what John Dalton predicted for compounds using his atomic theory of
matter. It came to be known as the law of multiple proportions.

Part A
There are two different compounds of sulfur and fluorine.
In SF6, the mass of fluorine per gram of sulfur is 3.55 g F/g S.
In the other compound, SFX, the mass of fluorine per gram of sulfur is 1.18 g F/g S.
What is the value of X for the second compound?
Express your answer as an integer.
X=

Before the mole

The law of multiple proportions predates the concept of a mole or molar mass. Thus,
scientists like John Dalton could only determine the relative amounts of each type of
atom in a formula, and not the exact formula. For example, Dalton could determine
that there were two carbon-oxygen compounds, one with twice as much oxygen as
the other. However, he did not know for sure that the formulas were CO and CO2.
Other possibilities (given what they knew at the time) could have been C2O and
C2O2, or CO2 and CO4, etc.

Part B
Samples of three different compounds were analyzed and the masses of each
element were determined.
Compound Mass N (g) Mass O (g)
A 5.6 3.2
B 3.5 8.0
C 1.4 4.0
If you were John Dalton and had never heard of a mole, which of the following would
you think were possible sets of formulas for the compounds A, B, and C,
respectively?
Check all that apply
NO2, NO8, NO10
N2O, N2O4, N2O5
NO4, NO10, NO5
NO, NO2, NO4

Applying Dalton's Atomic Theory

As early as 400 B.C., Greek philosophers proposed that matter was made up of
particles. During the 1800s, John Dalton linked the idea of atoms with the chemical
identity of an element. His atomic theory of matter involved the following
postulates.
Each element is composed of extremely small particles called atoms.
All atoms of a given element are identical to one another in mass and other
properties, but the atoms of one element are different from the atoms of other
elements.
Atoms of an element are not changed into atoms of a different element by chemical
reactions; atoms are neither created nor destroyed in chemical reactions.
Compounds are formed when atoms of more than one element combine; a given
compound always has the same relative number and kind of atoms.
Scientists later discovered isotopes, which showed that the second postulate was
not entirely true, and nuclear reactions, which showed that the third postulate was
not true.

Part A
Which of the following reactions is possible according to Dalton's atomic theory?
N2O2
N2+O22NO
CO2NO2
H2OH2S

Part B
The law of conservation of mass states that mass is neither created nor destroyed
during a chemical reaction. This can be gleaned from the third postulate in Dalton's
series.

Magnesium oxide decomposes into magnesium and oxygen. If 12.09 g of magnesium

oxide decomposes to form 7.29 g of magnesium, what mass of oxygen gas is also
released in the reaction?
Express your answer with the appropriate units.

Law of Definite Proportions

Early chemists were able to determine that for pure substances, the proportions of
the composite elements were the same, no matter how much of the substance was
analyzed. This became known as the law of definite proportions, or the law of
constant composition. Working with this concept will help you to better understand
the particulate nature of matter. To answer the questions, refer to the structures of
water and ammonia shown here.(Figure 1)

Part A
What is the ratio of hydrogen atoms (H) to oxygen atoms (O) in 2 L of water? Enter
the simplest whole number ratio in order of hydrogen to oxygen, respectively.
Express your answer as two integers, separated by a comma (e.g., 3,4).

Part B
How many atoms of hydrogen (H) are present in 200 molecules of ammonia (NH3)?
Express your answer numerically.