Discover the Hidden Gem: The Percentage of Silica in Sandstone Rocks

What is the percentage of silica in the sandstone rock?

Given that a 19.5 mg sample of sandstone rock yields 3.95 mg of carbon dioxide, how can we calculate the percentage of silica present in the rock?

Calculating the Percentage of Silica in Sandstone Rocks

To calculate the percentage of silica in the sandstone rock, we need to first determine the mass of silica in the sample. By using the Law of Conservation of Mass, we can derive this information. This law states that the mass of reactants is equal to the mass of products.

When sandstone is heated, calcium carbonate decomposes into calcium oxide and carbon dioxide, while silica remains unchanged. Therefore, the reactants in this scenario are 19.5 mg of the sandstone rock and 3.95 mg of carbon dioxide produced.

Calculating the mass of silica in the sample involves subtracting the mass of carbon dioxide produced from the total sample mass: 19.5 mg - 3.95 mg = 15.55 mg. This gives us the mass of silica present in the sandstone rock sample.

To determine the percentage of silica in the rock, we need to divide the mass of silica (15.55 mg) by the total mass of the sample (19.5 mg), and then multiply the result by 100. Therefore, the percentage of silica in the sandstone rock is calculated as follows: 15.55/19.5 * 100 = 79.87%.