To answer this item, our basis is 100g. We solve for the masses of the given elements in this item,
carbon: (0.18)(100 g) = 18 g
hydrogen: (0.0226)(100 g) = 2.26 g
chlorine: (0.797)(100 g) = 17.7 g
Then, we calculate for the number of moles by dividing the masses by the molar masses of the given elements.
Number of moles:
carbon = (18 g) x (1 mol / 12 g) = 1.5 moles
hydrogen = (2.26 g) x (1 mol/ 1.01 g) = 2.23 moles
chlorine = (79.7 g) x (1 mol / 35.45 g) = 2.25 moles
We get the ratio of the number of moles by dividing them with the lowest value, 1.5.
Carbon = 1.5 moles / 1.5 = 1
Hydrogen = 2.23 moles / 1.5 = 1.48
Chlorine = 2.25 / 1.5 = 1.5
The empirical formula is,
C1H1.5CL1.5
Simplifying,
C2H3Cl3