Sterling silver is an alloy commonly used in jewelry and contains silver and other metals. What is the mass percent of silver in sterling silver?

• A. 75.0%
• B. 92.5%
• C. 99.9%
• D. 80.0%

Answer: (B)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand that sterling silver is an alloy primarily composed of silver and other metals, and the problem asks for the mass percent of silver in this alloy.
2. Recall that the mass percent of an element in an alloy is calculated using the formula: \(\text{Mass percent} = \left( \frac{\text{mass of silver}}{\text{total mass of alloy}} \right) \times 100\%\).
3. Recognize that sterling silver is defined to contain 92.5% silver by mass, which means in 100 grams of sterling silver, 92.5 grams is silver and the rest is other metals.
4. Use the given definition or standard composition of sterling silver to identify the mass of silver and total mass, then apply the formula to confirm the mass percent.
5. Conclude that the mass percent of silver in sterling silver is 92.5%, which matches the standard composition of this alloy.