9

SCIENCE
QUARTER 2 – MODULE 7

Percentage Composition
of Compounds

Department of Education • Republic of the Philippines

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Science - 9
Self-Learning Module (SLM)
Quarter 2- Module 7: Percentage Composition of Compounds

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 What I Need to Know
This module was designed and written with you in mind. It is here to help you
master the Percentage Composition of a Compound. The scope of this module permits
it to be used in many different learning situations. The lessons are arranged to follow
the standard sequence of the course.

As you go through this module, you will be able to:

 Define what percentage composition is.

 Analyze and determine the percentage composition of a compound given its
chemical formula and vice versa.
 Calculate the percentage composition of elements in a compound.

What I Know
Pre-Test:
Multiple Choice. Choose the letter of the best answer. Write the chosen letter on a
separate sheet of paper.
1. The molar mass of magnesium fluoride (MgF2) is:
a. 62.3 g/mol c. 86.6 g/mol
b. 43.3 g/mol d. 92.9 g/mol
2. The mass % of H in methane (CH4) is:
a. 92.26% c. 6.283%
b. 74.87% d. 25.13%
3.What is the mass % of carbon in dimethylsulfoxide (C 2H6SO)?
a. 60.0 % c. 30.7 %
b. 20.6 % d. 79.8 %
4. The molar mass of potassium dichromate (K2Cr2O7) is:
a. 242.18 g/mol c. 107.09 g/mol
b. 294.18 g/mol d. 255.88 g/mol
5. What are the percent composition for SF2?
a. 55 % Sulfur and 45% Fluorine
b. 45.76% Sulfur and 54.39 % Fluorine
c. 33% Sulfur and 67% Fluorine
d. 49.2 % Sulfur and 50.8 % Fluorine
6. How many moles are contained in 34g of NH 3?
a. 1 mol b. 2 mol c. 17 mol d. 34 mol
7. Which statement is NOT true?
a. One mole of a substance contains a fixed number of particles.
b. One mole each of different substances have the same number of particles but they
have different masses.
c. The formula weight of the compound is equal to one mole of that substance.
d. One mole each of different substances have different masses and different number
of particles.
8. What is the atomic percentage of sulfur in a compound with the empirical formula
SF6?
a. 21.95% b. 25.23% c. 29.67% d. 36.00%
9. Compute the percentage by mass of carbon in a compound with the empirical formula
C2H2O.
a. 28.57% b. 40.00% c. 57.14% d. 80.00%
The percent composition by mass of copper in anhydrous cupric sulfate is about:
a. 10% b. 25% c. 40% d. 75%

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 Lesson
Percentage Composition
1 of Compounds

What’s In

The previous lessons, you have learned about calculating the molar mass. You
have also learned the relationship between molar mass, number of moles and number
of particles in a mole of a substance. In your previous grade levels, you have learned
that molar mass is the mass in grams of one mole of a substance expressed as g/mol
and also knew about compound. As a recall, compound is a substance made up of two
or more elements which are chemically combined.
As an example, table salt (NaCl) is a compound. It has the element Sodium and
Chlorine. Its molar mass is 58.44 g/mol and has 1 mole of Sodium atom and 1 mole of
Chlorine atom. In this lesson, you will utilize your knowledge about compounds and the
mole concept as it is used to determine the percentage composition of a substance, in
particular compounds.

Practice Exercises:
A. Write the chemical formula of the following chemical compounds.
1. Gold (III) chloride
2. Carbon dioxide
3. Ammonia
4. Stannic sulfate
5. Water
B. Write the name of the following chemical formula.
1. BaS
2. MgCl2
3. Fe2O3
4. NaCl
5. Al(OH)3

What’s New

Before we proceed to the lesson, we will first determine the number of atom of each
element in every chemical formula of a given compound.

Activity No. 1: COUNT ME!

Write the symbol of elements present in each chemical formula and identify the
number of atoms present.
Example: H2O H-2, O-1
1. AlBr3
2. C 3 H6 O
3. AlF3
4. NH4
5. CaBr2

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 Activity No. 2: ATOMIC MASS
Give the atomic mass/weight of the following element/atom. Use a periodic table of
elements for your reference.
1. Nitrogen (N)
2. Fluorine (F)
3. Arsenic (As)
4. Gold (Au)
5. Neon (Ne)

Drill: What’s the mass?

With reference from Activity Number 2 (Count me), compute for the molecular mass of
the following compounds.

Number of atoms Atomic/ Molar

Product of
of each element mass
(A x B)
(A) (g/mol)
(g/mol)
(B)
Given: Fe2O3
Fe 2 55.85 111.7
O 3 16.00 48.00

Total mass of Fe + O = 111.7 g/mol + 48.00 g/mol= 159.7 g/mol

(Molecular mass of Fe2O3)
Are you interested to know how much of an element is present in a compound? You
can answer this question by determining percentage composition.
The mass of each element in a compound compared to the entire mass of the compound
multiplied by 100 percent is called the percentage composition of the compound. So, the
percentage composition of a compound tells you the percentage by the mass of each
element in a formula unit of a compound.
Let us compare it in a classroom situation:
You are 54 in your class with 26 boys and 28
girls. If you will be asked what percent of the class
are boys and what percent are girls, how are you
going to compute for the answer? If your answer
is 48% boys and 52% girls, you are correct!
In the next icon “What is it?”, we will dig
deeper to learn about the percentage
composition.

What is It
The concept of percentage in chemistry is used
to describe the composition of elements in a compound.
It is vital to write the correct formula of the compound
and from there the per cent by mass of an element in
the compound can be determined.
Substances with different percent compositions
are used everyday. For example, cane vinegar contains
4.5% acetic acid, 0.73% sodium, water and caramel. A normal saline solution for
intravenous injection for fluid and electrolyte replenishment contains 0.9% NaCl in sterile,
nonpyrogenic solution. Percent composition is also applied in cooking, baking, cosmetics,
medicines, paints, concrete, jewelry, cleaning solutions etc.
Percent composition allows you to know the ideal dosage or amount of substance
to use. In medicine, for example, using more than the recommended dosage of a certain

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substance may adversely affect one’s health, as in drug overdose. In the same manner,
materials may also be damaged if excessively applied or used with substances. Inversely,
using less than the recommended percent composition may not give the desired effect or
materials.
The percentage composition of any given compound is nothing but the ratio of the
amount of each element present in the compound to the total amount of individual
elements present in the compound multiplied by 100. Here, we measure the quantity in
terms of grams of the elements present in the compound. The percentage composition of
a compound can be computed given its chemical formula or its mass data.

A. Percentage Computation from a Chemical Formula of a Compound

Chemists often need to know what elements are present in a compound and in
what percentage. The percent composition of an element in a compound is the mass (g)
of an element multiplied by the number of atoms divided by the formula mass (g) of the
compound multiplied by 100, as shown in the formula below.

% composition of element = Atomic Mass of thesselement x Number of atoms of the element x 100
Formula mass of the compound

From the above formula, you can determine the percentage composition by knowing the
following data first:

 The elements present in the formula unit of a given compound

 Atomic mass of each element
 The formula mass of the compound given the formula unit
 Number of atoms of each element written as subscripts in the formula unit

Here are the steps to determine the percentage composition of element/s.

Step 1: List the known and unknown quantities.
Step 2. Calculate.
Step 3: Review your result. It should total up to 100%.

Let’s try to apply the formula to the following sample problems:

1. Glucose (C6H12O6) is a six-carbon sugar (hexose) which is also known as the blood
sugar. It is an energy source that fuels our body. Calculate the percentage
composition of glucose. (Atomic masses: C= 12.00 g. H= 1.001 g. O=16.00 g.
from the Periodic Table)

STEP 1: List the known and unknown quantities.

Unknown
Known quantities
quantities
Number of Atoms/
Symbol
Name of Chemical Atomic Subscript of element Percentage
of
Compound Formula Mass (Refer to Chemical Composition
Elements
Formula)
C 12.00 g 6 atoms of C C=?
Glucose C6H12O6 H 1.00 g 12 atoms of H H=?
O 16.00 g 6 atoms of O O=?

In the table above, you have listed down the known and unknown quantities.

STEP 2. Calculate.
A. Calculate the relative atomic mass of each element in the formula unit by
multiplying the atomic mass and the number of atoms for each element.

RAM (Relative Atomic Mass) is the product of atomic mass

and number of atoms

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 RAM of C: 12 X 6 = 72 a.m.u
RAM of H: 1 X 12 = 12 a.m.u
RAM of O: 6 X 16 = 96 a.m.u

B. Determine the formula mass by adding all the RAM of each element.
RAM of C: = 72 a.m.u
RAM of H: = 12 a.m.u
RAM of O: = 96 a.m.u
180 a.m.u FORMULA MASS/ MOLAR MASS

C. Determine the percentage composition using the formula:

% Composition = Relative Atomic Mass of the element x 100

Formula Mass of the compound

% Composition C= 72 a.m.u x 100 = 40.00 % C

180 a.m.u

H= 12 a.m.u x 100 = 6.67 % H

180 a.m.u

O= 96 a.m.u x 100 = 53.33 % O

180 a.m.u
Step 4: Review your result. It should total up to 100%.

% C = 40.00
% H = 6.67
% O = 53.33
100%

B. Percent Composition from Mass Data

Percentage composition can be calculated given its masses from each of the
element present in a compound. The formula in determining the percentage composition
given the mass data is shown in the formula below.

% composition of element = Given mass of element x 100

Total mass of sample

The sample problem shown below is the calculation of the percentage

composition of a compound based on mass data.

Sample Problem:
Determine the percent composition of certain newly synthesized compound
which is known to contain the elements zinc and oxygen. When a 32.24 g
sample of the compound is decomposed, 18.40 g of zinc remains. Determine
the percent composition by mass of oxygen in the compound.
Step 1: List the known and unknown quantities.
Known quantities Unknown quantities
1. Mass of compound = 32.24 g Percent by mass of Zinc = ?
2. Mass of Zinc = 18.40 g Percent by mass of Oxygen= ?

Subtract to find the mass of oxygen

in the compound. Divide each
element’s mass by the total mass of
the compound to find the percent by
mass.

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Step 2. Calculate.

A. Determine the mass of oxygen produced.

Mass of oxygen = Mass of compound – Mass of Zinc

= 32.24 g - 18.40 g = 13.84 g O

B. Compute for the percentage composition by mass.

% Zn = 18.40 g Zn x 100 % = 57.07% Zn

32.24 g

%O = 13.84 g O x 100 % = 42.93% O

32.24 g
Step 3: Review your result. It should total up to 100%.

% Zn= 57.07% Zn
% O = 42.93 % O
100 %
From the computation, the compound is made up of 57.07% Zinc and 42.93%
Oxygen.

What’s More
Here are some problems for you to practice:
1. H3PO4, Phosphoric acid, is used in detergents, fertilizers, toothpastes and
flavoring in carbonated beverages. Calculate the percent composition with mass
to two decimal places of H, P and O in this compound.
Step 1: List the known and unknown quantities.
Step 2. Calculate.
Step 3: Review your result. It should total up to 100%.
2. Calculate the percent composition of each element for the following compounds.
a. N2O
b. CaCO3

What I Have Learned

Activity 1: What am I composed of?
Objective:
 Know its composition and the significance of these compounds.
 Determine the percentage composition of some compounds that could be
found in your homes.

Materials:
Periodic table of elements, calculator
Procedure:
Read the following substances commonly found in your homes, know its uses and its
composition.
1. Toothpaste (NaF- Sodium Flouride) is the one of the essential things we use in our
everyday life. It makes teeth stronger and more resistant to decay caused by acid
and bacteria. (Atomic masses: Na= 22.99 g; F=19.00g from the Periodic Table)
2. Baking powder (NaHCO3) is the compound consisting of sodium, hydrogen, and
carbonate ions. It is used in baking cakes and desserts. It is also used in
neutralizing stomach acidity. Moreover, it can be used as a natural deodorant.
(Atomic masses: Na=22.99 g; H=1.00; C=12.01 g; O=16.00 g from the Periodic
Table)

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 3. Mouth wash (H2O2-Hydrogen Peroxide) is an antiseptic solution which is used to
reduce the antibacterial load in our oral cavity. Hydrogen Peroxide is used to kill
bacteria, soothes bleeding gums, sore throat and as a teeth whitener. Along with
these uses, it is widely used in industries such as electronic industry where it is
used as an oxidizing and cleaning agent in the manufacturing process of
semiconductors and printed circuit boards. (Atomic masses: H=1.00 g; O=16.00g
from the Periodic Table)
A. Calculate the percentage composition of each element in the compounds.
1. Toothpaste (NaF- Sodium fluoride)
2. Baking powder (NaHCO3- Sodium hydrogencarbonate)
3. Mouth wash (H2O2-Hydrogen peroxide)

Guide Questions:
Q1. What are the elements present in the following compounds?
a. Toothpaste
b. Baking Powder
c. Mouth wash
Q2. What element of each compound contains the greatest percent composition?
a. Toothpaste
b. Baking Powder
c. Mouth wash
Q3. Do you think these compounds are important or beneficial? In what way?

What I Can Do
Great Job! You are very close to end. It’s time to gauge your learnings and put it
into application. Are you ready?

Direction: Look for 5 commercial products you have at home and list down the
amount of ingredients present in the product, in grams or in percent in
a clean sheet of paper.

Assessment:

Direction: Choose the letter of the best answer. Write the chosen letter on a
separate sheet of paper.

1. The label of the dark chocolate indicates that its mass is 150 grams and it is 70%
cacao, if you consume the whole chocolate bar, how much cacao did you eat?
a. 105 g cacao c. 1.05 g cacao
b. 10.5 g cacao d. 1050 g cacao
2. The roots of the plants absorb the nutrients from the soil. For the farmers, it is
important to strengthen the root system of their plants to ensure its growth.
Potassium is the mineral responsible for a healthy root system. If you were a
farmer, which of the following fertilizers are you going to use?
a. K2SO4 b. K2O c. KCl d. K2CO3
3. The presence of SO2 in the atmosphere causes acid rain. How many percent of
sulfur is present in SO2 (Molar Mass = 64.07g/mole)?
a. 40.00% b. 49.95% c. 60.00% d. 50.05%

4. What is the percent composition of chromium in Barium chromate?

a. 4.87% b. 9.47% c. 20.5% d. 25.2%

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5. To determine the formula of a new substance, one of the first steps is to find the
_____.
a. gram formula mass c. value for Avogadro's number
b. number of particles per mole d. percent composition
6. What is the percent by mass of carbon in acetone, C 3H6O?
a. 1.61% b. 62.10% c. 30.00% d. 20.70%
7. If 60.2 grams of Hg combines completely with 24.0 grams of Br to form a
compound, what is the percent composition of Hg in the compound?
a. 71.50% b. 251% c. 60.10% d. 39.90%
8. What is the percent composition of chromium in BaCrO 4?
a. 9.47% b.20.50% c.54.20% d.25.20%
9. What is the mass of oxygen in 250 g of sulfuric acid, H 2SO4?
a. 16 g b. 41 g c.3.9 g d.163 g
15. What is the percentage composition of Br in a 14.80g sample that contains
10.97g of Bromine?
a. Br=25.9% b. Br=19.8% c. Br=74.1% d. Br=80.2%

B. Calculate for the percentage composition of Carbon in the following compounds.

1. C12H22O11
2. C 3 H6 O
3. C 2 H4 O
4. C9H8O4
5. C 3 H8

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Answer Key
What’s More
What I Know Step 1: List the known and unknown quantities.
Pre- Test Unknown
Known quantities
quantities
1. A
2. D 1. Mass of H in 1 mol H= 1.00 g 4. 3 atoms of H Percent H= ?
2. Mass of P in 1 mol P= 30.97 g 5. 1 atom of P Percent P= ?
3. C Percent O= ?
4. B 3. Mass of O in 1 mol O=16.00 g 6. 4 atoms of O
5. B
6. B Step 2: Calculate
7. A A. Calculate the relative atomic mass of each element in the formula unit by multiplying the
atomic mass and the number of atoms for each element.
8. A
9. C RAM of H: 1 X 3 = 3 a.m.u
10. C RAM of P: 30.97 X 1 = 30.97 a.m.u
RAM of O: 16 X 4 = 64 a.m.u

What’s In B. Determine the formula mass by adding all the RAM of each element.
Practice Exercise RAM of H: = 3 a.m.u
RAM of P: = 30.97 a.m.u
A. RAM of O: = 64 a.m.u
1. AuCl3 97.97 a.m.u
2. CO2 C. Determine the percentage composition:
3. NH3
4. Sn (SO4)2 H= 3 a.m.u x 100 = 40.00 % H
Step 4: Review your result. It
97.97 a.m.u
5. H20 should total up to 100%.
B. P= 12 a.m.u x 100 = 6.67 % P % H= 3.06 % H
97.97 a.m.u % P = 31.61% P
1. Barium sulfide % O = 65.33 % O
2. Magnesium Chloride O= 96 a.m.u x 100 = 53.33 % O 100%
3. Ferric Oxide / Iron (III) Oxide 180 a.m.u
4. Sodium Chloride
5. Aluminum Hydroxide
2. a. N= 63.64%
What’s New O= 36.36 %
Activity No.1: Count Me! b. Ca=40.05%
1. Al- 1, Br-3 C= 11.99%
2. C-3, H-6, O-1 O= 47.96%
3. Al-1, F-3
4. N-1, H-4 What I Have Learned
5. Ca- 1, Br-2 A.
Activity No.2: a. Na= 54.75 %
1. 14.00 g F= 45.25%
2. 18.99 g b. Na=27.37%
3. 74.92 g H= 1.19%
4. 197.00 g C= 14.29%
5. 20.18 g O= 57.15%
c. H= 5.88 %
Assessment O= 94.12%
A. 1. A 8. C Guide Questions:
2. B 9. D 1. a. Sodium, Flourine
3. D 10. C b. Sodium, Hydrogen, Carbon, Oxygen
4. C c. Hydrogen, Oxygen
5. D B. 1. 42.11 % 2. a. Na (Sodium)
6. B 2. 62.07% b. O (Oxygen)
7. A 3. 54.55% c. O-(Oxygen)
4. 60.00 % 3. Answer may vary.
5. 81.81%

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References

Kean, E. & Middlecamp, C. (1994). How to survive (and even excel) in general
chemistry. USA: Mc Graw-Hill Inc.
ISMED. (2000). Sourcebook on practical work for teacher trainers high school
chemistry. Vol 2. Quezon City.
Nueva-Espana, R.C. (1995). Science and technology (Chemistry). Quezon City:
Abiva Publishing.
Hill, J.W. & Kolb, D.K. (1995). Chemistry for changing times. (7th ed.) USA:
Prentice Hall, Inc.
Josefina Ma. Ferriols-Pavico, John Donnie A. Ramos, Anna Cherylle Morales Ramos,
Aristea V. Bayquen, and Angelina A. Silverio (2014)."Moling" of Elements and
Compounds, Exploring Life Through Science (pp. 248-261). Philippines,
Quezon City: Pheonix Publishing House, Inc.

Liza A. Alvarez, Dave G. Amgeles, Herman L. Apurada, Ma. Pilar P. Carmona, Oliver
A. Lahorra, Judith F. Marcaida, Marivic S. Roles, and Ma. Teresa B. Delos
Santos (2014). What's in Mole?, Science Learner's Module 9 (pp. 145-
157).Philippines, Pasig City: Department of Education

https://chem.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Introductory_Chemistry/Book%3A_Intro
ductory_Chemistry_(CK-
12)/10%3A_The_Mole/10.09%3A_Percent_Composition

http://www.chemistry.wustl.edu/~coursedev/Online%20tutorials/Plink/chemform
key.htm

https://chem.libretexts.org/Courses/Los_Angeles_Trade_Technical_College/Chem_
51/1.8%3A_Stoichiometry_and_the_Mole/8.04%3A_Percent_Composition

https://studiousguy.com/compounds-we-use-in-everyday-life/

http://content.sandbox-njctl.org/courses/science/chemistry/mole-
calculations/mole-calculations-multiple-choice/mole-calculations-multiple-choice-
2013-04-03.pdf

http://www2.onu.edu/~s-bates/chem172/FinalRevMC.pdf

https://sciencenotes.org/periodic-table-with-atomic-mass/

https://www.birdvilleschools.net/cms/lib/TX01000797/Centricity/Domain/3134/

How to Calculate % Composition Retrieved from

https://www.foresthillshs.org/ourpages/auto/2014/12/15/48713015/percent%2
0composition.pdf

https://www.kentschools.net/ccarman/cp-chemistry

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Name: ____________________________ Date: ______________________
Grade/Section: _____________________ Score: _____________________

Title of the Activity: PART OF A WHOLE

Most Essential Learning Competency: Determine the percentage composition of a
compound given its chemical formula and vice-versa.
K to 12 BEC CG: S9MT-IIj-20
PART 1
Write your answer on the line before each number.

________________1. It is the shorthand method of representing the composition of a

substance by using chemical symbols.
________________2. He is a Chemist who investigated the composition of hydrogen and
oxygen in water and gave a percentage composition of 11% and 89%
respectively.
________________3. It is the percentage by mass of each of the elements in the compound.
________________4. The general formula in calculating percentage composition.
________________5. The sum of the mass percentages of each element of a compound.
PART 2.
Using the attendance of the students who attended, complete the data in the table.
[Note that percent= (part/total) X100] 5pts. each

Total number Total number Total number Percent of Percent of

of Students of Girls of Boys Girls Boys

Students 42 32 10 ------------- --------------

PART 3.

Directions: Find the percent composition of the following compounds.

1.) H₂O

2.) Al₂O3

3.) Na₂SO4

4.) CO₂

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Name: ____________________________ Date: ______________________
Grade/Section: _____________________ Score: _____________________

Title of the Activity: BREAK ME UP!

Most Essential Learning Competency: Determine the percentage composition of a
compound given its chemical formula and vice-versa.
K to 12 BEC CG: S9MT-IIj-20
Directions: Solve the following problems.
PART 1. As cases of Covid-19 increases, the demand for immunity support
products of which Ascorbic Acid is probably the most well-known also increases
dramatically. Calculate the percent composition of ascorbic acid (C 6H8O6).

Part 2. Ethanol or ethyl alcohol is a straight-chain alcohol with a molecular

formula of C₂H5OH. It is effective in killing microorganisms like bacteria, fungi
and viruses. What is the percentage composition of each component in the
compound?

PART 3. Safely managed water is an essential part of preventing and protecting

human health. Find the percentage composition of Aluminum Sulphate
(Al₂(SO4)₂, a substance used as a coagulating agent in the purification of drinking
water.

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