Question

What is the formula mass for sulfur dioxide?

Answer 1

S: 32.1`xx`1 = 32.1 g/mol
O: 16.0`xx`2 = 32.0 g/mol
`SO_2` = 32.1 + 32.0 = ?

Explanation:

If the formula of sulfur dioxide is `SO_2`, the first step is to find the the molar mass of each elements present.

Sulfur dioxide has sulfur (S) and oxygen (O) present. If you refer to your periodic table, the atomic weight equals to the molar mass.

The molar mass of sulfur is 32.1 g/mol, and oxygen is 16.0 g/mol.
If you look back at the formula (`SO_2`), you can see that there is one sulfur and two oxygens present.
Therefore, the molar mass of sulfur dioxide is [1 `xx`32.1 `+` 2`xx`16.0] = 64.1 g/mol.