If a piece of paper has a mass of 4.4 grams and contains 0.22 grams of carbon, what is the mass percent of carbon in the paper?

• A. 0.5%
• B. 5.0%
• C. 20.0%
• D. 2.0%

Answer: (B)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Identify the given quantities: the total mass of the paper is 4.4 grams, and the mass of carbon in the paper is 0.22 grams.
2. Recall the formula for mass percent, which is the mass of the component divided by the total mass of the mixture, multiplied by 100 to convert to a percentage: \(\text{Mass percent} = \left( \frac{\text{mass of component}}{\text{total mass}} \right) \times 100\).
3. Substitute the given values into the formula: \(\text{Mass percent of carbon} = \left( \frac{0.22}{4.4} \right) \times 100\).
4. Perform the division inside the parentheses to find the fraction of carbon by mass relative to the total mass of the paper.
5. Multiply the result by 100 to convert the fraction to a percentage, which gives the mass percent of carbon in the paper.