Question

Hydrogen peroxide and water contain $5.93$% and $11.2$% of hydrogen respectively. The data illustrates the law of:

• A. constant proportions
• B. multiple proportions
• C. reciprocal proportions
• D. conservation of mass

Answer 1

The correct option is B multiple proportions

For hydrogen peroxide, 100 g of sample will contain 5.93 g hydrogen and $100-5.93=94.07$ g oxygen respectively.

The ratio of the mass of oxygen to the mass of hydrogen in hydrogen peroxide is $\frac{94.07}{5.93}=15.86$

For water, 100 g of sample will contain 11.2 g hydrogen and $100-11.2=88.8$ g oxygen respectively.

The ratio of the mass of oxygen to the mass of hydrogen in hydrogen peroxide is $\frac{88.8}{11.2}=7.93$

The two ratios are in the proportion $\frac{15.86}{7.93}=2:1$

Hence, this illustrates the Law of multiple proportions. According to this law, if two elements chemically combine with each other forming two or more compounds with different compositions by mass then the ratios of masses of two interacting elements in the two compounds are small whole numbers.