What is the mole ratio of Fe3O4 to Fe?
Understand the Problem
The question is asking for the mole ratio between Fe3O4 (iron(II,III) oxide) and Fe (iron) in a chemical context, likely relying on the balanced chemical equation for a reaction involving these compounds.
Answer
The mole ratio of $Fe_3O_4$ to $Fe$ is $1:3$.
Answer for screen readers
The mole ratio of $Fe_3O_4$ to $Fe$ is $1:3$.
Steps to Solve
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Identify the Chemical Formula We have the compound $Fe_3O_4$. This indicates that there are 3 iron (Fe) atoms and 4 oxygen (O) atoms in each molecule of magnetite.
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Write the Balanced Equation In order to determine the mole ratio of $Fe_3O_4$ to $Fe$, we need to write the reaction where $Fe_3O_4$ decomposes into iron. A possible reaction can be represented as: $$ Fe_3O_4 \rightarrow 3Fe + 2O_2 $$ This shows that 1 mole of $Fe_3O_4$ produces 3 moles of Fe.
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Determine the Mole Ratio From the balanced equation, we can directly see the mole ratio of $Fe_3O_4$ to Fe is: $$ \text{Mole Ratio} = \frac{1\ \text{mole}\ of\ Fe_3O_4}{3\ \text{moles}\ of\ Fe} $$
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Express the Ratio in Simple Terms This can be simplified to: $$ \text{Mole Ratio} = 1:3 $$
The mole ratio of $Fe_3O_4$ to $Fe$ is $1:3$.
More Information
The ratio indicates that for every mole of iron(II,III) oxide ($Fe_3O_4$), three moles of elemental iron (Fe) are produced. This ratio is fundamental in stoichiometry for calculating reactants and products in chemical reactions.
Tips
- Confusing the subscripts in chemical formulas may lead to incorrect interpretations of the number of atoms.
- Forgetting to balance the equation correctly could result in an incorrect mole ratio.
