Question

A 3.78 g sample of a blue-colored powder contains 1.52 g of chromium, 0.88 g of sulfur and 1.38 g of oxygen.

What is the Empirical formula of the compound?

Answer 1

CrSO₃

Step-by-step explanation:

Given parameters:

Mass of sample = 3.78g

Mass of chromium = 1.52g

Mass of sulfur = 0.88g

Mass of oxygen = 1.38g

Unknown:

Empirical formula of the compound = ?

Solution:

The empirical formula of a compound is the simplest formula of such a compound.

To solve this problem, follow the chart below:

Elements Cr S O

Mass 1.52 0.88 1.38

Molar mass 52 32 16

Number of moles 1.52/52 0.88/32 1.38/16

0.029 0.028 0.086

Divide through by

the smallest 0.029/0.028 0.028/0.028 0.086/0.028

1 1 3

So,

The empirical formula is CrSO₃