Help with chemistry!! Finding percentages and other things!?

Posted on 2016-10-18 18:40:00 in Chemistry by KATE

This question completely confused me, not sure how to start... 

Method one: NaHCO3(s) + HCl (aq) + heat H2O(g) + NaCl(s) + CO2(g) 

The other method involves heating NaHCO3 to fully decompose it. 

Method two: 2 NaHCO3(s) + heat ï‚® Na2CO3(s) + H2O(g) + CO2(g) 

The decomposition of NaHCO3 occurs to a certain extent even at room temperature so it is likely that the sample was not only contaminated with NaCl, it was also contaminated with Na2CO3. 

Explain what effect Na2CO3 contamination would have on the experimental value of percent of NaHCO3 using the two methods above. Would the percent of NaHCO3 be too high, the same, or too low? Why? Assume no thermal decomposition of Na2CO3 at the temperatures used in these experiments. 
Hint: Figure out your results for both experiments with a known sample of 90percent NaHCO3 and 10 percent NaCl. Then figure out what your results would be if the mixture was 90 percent NaHCO3, 5 percent Na2CO3, and 5 percent NaCl

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