Question

Hydrogen sulphide contains 94.11% sulphur, sulphur dioxide contains 50% oxygen and water contains 11.11% hydrogen. Show that these figures are in agreement with law of reciprocal proportions.

Answer 1

The weight of hydrogen in water = 11.11 g
The weight of oxygen in water = 100 -11.11 = 88.89 g
weight of sulphur in sulphur dioxide = 50g
weight of oxygen sulphur dioxide = 100 -50 = 50g
The weight of sulphur that combines with 88.89 g of oxygen = 50/50 x 88.89 = 88.89g
The ratio between the weights of sulphur and hydrogen which combine with a fixed weight of oxygen
88.89: 11.1 = 8:1-------------------1
The weight of sulphur in hydrogen sulfide = 94.11g
The weight of hydrogen = 100 -94.11 = 5.89g
The ratio between weights of sulphur and hydrogen is 94.11 : 5.89 =16:1 -----------------------------2
from the two equations 1 and 2 we get the ratios 8/1 :16/1 =8:16 = 1:2
From the answer we are able to know that these are simple multiples of each other. hence here Law of reciprocal proportion is verified.