The molecular weight of Magnesium Chloride (MgCl2) is 95.2104.
To calculate molecular weight of any compound, the first step is to know the constituent elements (atoms) and their number in that particular compound. Then calculate the total atomic weight of each element by multiplying its atomic weight by its number. The sum of total weight of all constituent elements will be the molecular weight of the compound. Note that the value of atomic weight may differ from different sources.
CALCULATION PROCEDURE
Step 1: Find out the chemical formula and determine constituent atoms and their number in a Magnesium chloride molecule.
From the chemical formula, you will know different atoms and their number in a Magnesium chloride molecule. Chemical formula of Magnesium chloride is MgCl2. From the chemical formula of Magnesium chloride, it is easy to find out that there are one Magnesium (Mg) atom and two Chlorine (Cl) atoms in a molecule of Magnesium chloride.
Step 2: Find out atomic weights of each atom.
Atomic weight of magnesium (Mg): 24.305 (Ref: Pubchem-12, Jlab-ele012)
Atomic weight of chlorine (Cl) : 35.4527 (Ref: Pubchem-Chlorine, jlab-ele017)
Step 3: Calculate the molecular weight of Magnesium chloride by adding the total weight of all atoms.
Number of magnesium atoms in Magnesium chloride: 1
Atomic weight of magnesium: 24.305
Total weight of magnesium atoms in Magnesium chloride: 24.305 x 1 = 24.305
Number of chlorine atoms in Magnesium chloride: 2
Atomic weight of chlorine: 35.4527
Total weight of chlorine atoms in Magnesium chloride: 35.4527 x 2 = 70.9052
Step 4: Calculate the molecular weight of Magnesium chloride by adding up the total weight of all atoms.
Molecular weight of Magnesium chloride (MgCl2):
24.305 (Magnesium) + 70.90 (Chlorine)
So the molecular weight of Magnesium chloride is 95.2104.
| Molecular weight of Magnesium chloride (MgCl2) | |||
| Atoms (elements) in Magnesium chloride | Number of each atom in Magnesium chloride | Atomic weight | Total weight |
| Mg (Magnesium) | 1 | 24.305 | 24.305 (24.305 x 1) |
| Cl (Chlorine) | 2 | 35.4527 | 70.9052 (35.4527 x 2) |
| Molecular weight of Magnesium chloride (MgCl2): | 95.2104 | ||
REFERENCES:
- Pubchem-12: https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/element/12
- Jlab-ele012: https://education.jlab.org/itselemental/ele012.html
- Pubchem-Chlorine: https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/element/Chlorine
- jlab-ele017: https://education.jlab.org/itselemental/ele017.html
