A student carried out a dehydration experiment by using the MgSO4 nH2O. The student placed an evaporating dish which is having 3.8457 g of MgSO4nH2O in an oven at the 110 deg C. At this temperature, some but not all of the water in this hydrate was lost. When constant mass was achieved, the salt weighed 2.4402 g. The student then placed the evaporating dish and contents back in the oven at 160 deg C. The residue came to a constant mass of1.8779 g. stronger heating produced no further loss in mass. Suppose that this final residue is the completely anhydrous compound.
The water is lost in molecular steps and the formulas must be written with integers and not fractions:
1. Calculate the formula of the 1.8779g sample?
2. How can determine the formula of the 2.4402 g sample?
3. How can estimate the formula of the 3.8457g sample?