Students perform an experiment in which the mass of a sample of Mg is vigorously heated so that it reacts with oxygen to form magnesium oxide. The purpose of the experiment is to verify the formula unit (MgO) of the compound produced in the reaction.
Mg(s)+O2(g)→2MgO(s)
I. The students find their initial sample of magnesium had a mass of 0.24g and the ending mass of the magnesium oxide was 0.48g. The students obtained an ending mass of MgO which matches perfectly with the ration predicted by the balanced equation.
BECAUSE
II. The magnesium and oxygen should react in a 1:1 ratio.