What is the molar mass of ammonium sulfate, (NH_4)_2SO_4?

• A. 132.14 g/mol
• B. 96.07 g/mol
• C. 118.09 g/mol
• D. 142.04 g/mol

Answer: (A)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Identify the chemical formula of ammonium sulfate, which is \(\left(\mathrm{NH}_4\right)_2\mathrm{SO}_4\).
2. Determine the number of each type of atom in the formula: 2 ammonium ions mean 2 nitrogen (N) atoms and 8 hydrogen (H) atoms, plus 1 sulfur (S) atom and 4 oxygen (O) atoms.
3. Find the atomic masses of each element from the periodic table: nitrogen (N) ≈ 14.01 g/mol, hydrogen (H) ≈ 1.008 g/mol, sulfur (S) ≈ 32.07 g/mol, oxygen (O) ≈ 16.00 g/mol.
4. Calculate the total mass contributed by each element by multiplying the atomic mass by the number of atoms: for example, total nitrogen mass = 2 × 14.01 g/mol.
5. Sum all the individual masses to get the molar mass of ammonium sulfate: \(\text{Molar mass} = (2 \times 14.01) + (8 \times 1.008) + (1 \times 32.07) + (4 \times 16.00)\) g/mol.