Question

asked May 10, 2020 201k views

1 Answer

Zianwar · Answer 1 · 2020-05-14T20:19:25+0000

Answer: The empirical formula for the given compound is

Step-by-step explanation:

The chemical equation for the combustion of hydrocarbon having carbon, hydrogen and oxygen follows:

$C_xH_yO_z+O_2\rightarrow CO_2+H_2O$

where, 'x', 'y' and 'z' are the subscripts of Carbon, hydrogen and oxygen respectively.

We are given:

Mass of
CO_2=8.59g

Mass of
H_2O=3.52g

We know that:

Molar mass of carbon dioxide = 44 g/mol

Molar mass of water = 18 g/mol

For calculating the mass of carbon:

In 44 g of carbon dioxide, 12 g of carbon is contained.

So, in 8.59 g of carbon dioxide,
(12)/(44)* 8.59=2.34g of carbon will be contained.

For calculating the mass of hydrogen:

In 18 g of water, 2 g of hydrogen is contained.

So, in 3.52 g of water,
(2)/(18)* 3.52=0.391g of hydrogen will be contained.

For calculating the mass of oxygen:

Mass of oxygen in the compound =
(4.30g)-[(2.34g)+(0.391g)]=1.57g

To formulate the empirical formula, we need to follow some steps:

Step 1: Converting the given masses into moles.

Moles of Carbon =
$\frac{\text{Given mass of Carbon}}{\text{Molar mass of Carbon}}=(2.34g)/(12g/mole)=0.195moles$

Moles of Hydrogen =
$\frac{\text{Given mass of Hydrogen}}{\text{Molar mass of Hydrogen}}=(0.391g)/(1g/mole)=0.391moles$

Moles of Oxygen =
$\frac{\text{Given mass of oxygen}}{\text{Molar mass of oxygen}}=(1.57g)/(16g/mole)=0.0981moles$

Step 2: Calculating the mole ratio of the given elements.

For the mole ratio, we divide each value of the moles by the smallest number of moles calculated which is
0.0981 moles.

For Carbon =
$(0.195)/(0.0981)=1.98\approx 2$

For Hydrogen =
$(0.391)/(0.0981)=3.98\approx 4$

For Oxygen =
(0.0981)/(0.0981)=1

Step 3: Taking the mole ratio as their subscripts.

The ratio of C : H : O = 2 : 4 : 1

Hence, the empirical formula for the given compound is

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