Answer: The formula of the hydrated alumina is [tex]Al_2O_3.5H_2O[/tex]
Explanation:
Decomposition of hydrated alumina is given by:
[tex]Al_2O_3.xH_2O\rightarrow Al_2O_3+xH_2O [/tex]
Molar mass of [tex]Al_2O_3[/tex] = 101.96 g/mol
According to stoichiometry:
(101.96+18x) g of [tex]Al_2O_3.xH_2O[/tex] decomposes to give 101.96 g of
[tex]Al_2O_3[/tex]
Thus 5.000 g of [tex]Al_2O_3.xH_2O[/tex] decomposes to give=[tex]\frac {101.96}{(101.96+18x)}\times 5.000[/tex] of H_2O
But it is given 5.000 g of a sample of hydrated salt [tex]Al_2O_3.xH_2O[/tex] was found to contain 2.6763 g of unhydrated salt
Thus we can equate the two equations:
[tex]\frac{101.96}{(101.96+18x)}\times 5.000=2.6763[/tex]
[tex]x=5[/tex]
Thus the formula of the hydrated alumina is [tex]Al_2O_3.5H_2O[/tex]