207k views
0 votes
What is the empirical formula of a compound composed of 32.9g of potassium and 6.73 g of oxygen

User Novicef
by
5.6k points

1 Answer

3 votes
The empirical formula is calculated as follows
step 1 ; calculate the moles of each element

K = 32.9 g/39 g/mol (molar mass of potassium) = 0.84 moles

O = 6.73 g /16 g/mol ( molar mass of oxygen) = 0.42 moles

step 2 ; calculate the mole ratio by dividing by smallest number of mole
K= 0.84 /0.42=2
O= 0.42/0.42= 1

therefore the empirical formula = K2O
User Rednoyz
by
6.3k points