A mass of 3.6g of magnesium reacts in excess chlorine to form a chloride, if the mass of the chloride is 14.25g, find the formula of the chloride formed

MgCl2

Explanation:

From the question given,

Mass of Mg = 3.6g

Mass of the chloride = 14.25g

Note: the chloride contains Mg and Cl

Mass of Cl = Mass of chloride - Mass of Mg

Mass of Cl = 14.25 - 3.6 = 10.65g

Now we can easily obtain the formula of chloride as follow:

Mg = 3.6g

Cl = 10.65g

Divide by their molar mass

Mg = 3.6/24 = 0.15

Cl = 10.65/35.5 = 0.3

Divide by the smallest

Mg = 0.15/0.15 = 1

Cl = 0.3/0.15 = 2

Therefore, the formula of chloride is MgCl2