Law of multiple proportions
The law of multiple proportions says that if you have two or more elements that can combine to form different compounds, the ratio of the mass of one element to the mass of the other element will always be in small whole numbers.
Imagine you have two Lego bricks, a red one and a blue one. You could stack them in different ways to make different structures. If you always use one red brick and one blue brick, you might be able to build a small house, a car, and a boat. Each structure is like a compound made up of the two Lego bricks.
Now imagine you're building a house with Lego bricks. You always use two red bricks and one blue brick to make the roof. No matter how many roofs you make, you always use this ratio of 2-to-1. This is like the law of multiple proportions.
In chemistry, elements can combine to form compounds. For example, hydrogen and oxygen can combine to form water (H2O) or hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). The law of multiple proportions says that the ratio of the mass of hydrogen to the mass of oxygen in each compound will be a small whole number.
So, for water, the ratio of hydrogen mass to oxygen mass is always 2-to-1. For hydrogen peroxide, the ratio is always 1-to-2. This pattern holds true for many different compounds made up of different elements.
Just like with building Lego structures, the law of multiple proportions helps chemists predict how elements will combine to form compounds.
Imagine you have two Lego bricks, a red one and a blue one. You could stack them in different ways to make different structures. If you always use one red brick and one blue brick, you might be able to build a small house, a car, and a boat. Each structure is like a compound made up of the two Lego bricks.
Now imagine you're building a house with Lego bricks. You always use two red bricks and one blue brick to make the roof. No matter how many roofs you make, you always use this ratio of 2-to-1. This is like the law of multiple proportions.
In chemistry, elements can combine to form compounds. For example, hydrogen and oxygen can combine to form water (H2O) or hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). The law of multiple proportions says that the ratio of the mass of hydrogen to the mass of oxygen in each compound will be a small whole number.
So, for water, the ratio of hydrogen mass to oxygen mass is always 2-to-1. For hydrogen peroxide, the ratio is always 1-to-2. This pattern holds true for many different compounds made up of different elements.
Just like with building Lego structures, the law of multiple proportions helps chemists predict how elements will combine to form compounds.