The Atomic Mass of Three Compounds Are Known: Methane $\left(\mathrm{CH}_{4}\right)$ Is 160 , Glycerol

Short Answer

The atomic mass of three compounds are known: methane $\left(\mathrm{CH}_{4}\right)$ is 16.0 , glycerol $(\mathrm{C} 3 \mathrm{H} 8 \mathrm{O} 3)$ is 91.9 , and water $(\mathrm{H} 2 \mathrm{O})$ is 18.0. Calculate the atomic mass of $\mathbf{C}, \mathbf{H}$ , and $\mathbf{O}$ by solving this linear system:
$\mathbf{C}+4 \mathbf{H}=16.0$
$\begin{array}{r}3 \mathrm{C}+8 \mathrm{H}+3 \mathrm{O}=91.9 \\2 \mathbf{H}+\mathbf{O}=18.0\end{array}$