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Magnesium Oxide Lab Report

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Intro In this lab, we will create a chemical reaction between the reactants oxygen (O2) and magnesium (Mg) using combustion. The product will be magnesium oxide (MgO). In this lab we will record the masses of reactants and products to perform stoichiometry of the chemical equation Mg + O2 -> MgO. The actual yield of product will differ from the theoretical yield based on how the experiment is performed. The independent variable is the product amounts and the dependent variable is the percent yield. Literature Review The word stoichiometry originates from the Greek language (ChemTeam). The Greek words for “element” and “measure,” stoicheion and metron, are what combine together to make that word stoichiometry. When performing stoichiometry, the masses of products and the masses of reactants involved in the particular chemical equation you are observing are used in the calculations. The first person to record the concept of stoichiometry was Jeremias Benjaim Richter, a German chemist. He said, originally in German and translated to English, “Stoichiometry is the science of measuring the quantitative proportions or mass ratios in which chemical elements stand to one another.” In a typical stoichiometry problem, you will be given the chemical equation of a reaction, a certain amount of reactant, and then you will need to find how much of the product can be formed. The skills needed to complete a stoichiometry problem are balancing equations, converting between grams

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