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What is the empirical and molecular formula for sucralose? The percent composition is 36.25% C, 4.82% H, 26.75% Cl and 32.19% O. The molar mass is 397.63 g/mole.

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3 votes

Final answer:

To determine the empirical and molecular formulas for sucralose, calculate the moles of each element from the percent composition, find the simplest whole-number ratio for the empirical formula, and then use the molar mass of sucralose to derive the molecular formula.

Step-by-step explanation:

To find the empirical and molecular formulas for sucralose, given the percent composition and molar mass, we can follow these steps:

  1. Calculate the moles of each element by dividing the percent by the atomic mass of each element (C: 12.01 g/mol, H: 1.008 g/mol, O: 16.00 g/mol, Cl: 35.45 g/mol).
  2. Divide the moles of each element by the smallest number of moles to get the simplest whole-number ratio, which gives us the empirical formula.
  3. Divide the molar mass of the compound by the mass of the empirical formula to get a ratio that we use to determine the molecular formula.

For sucralose, the empirical formula calculation would look like this:

  • C: (36.25% / 12.01 g/mol) = 3.019 moles
  • H: (4.82% / 1.008 g/mol) = 4.781 moles
  • O: (32.19% / 16.00 g/mol) = 2.011 moles
  • Cl: (26.75% / 35.45 g/mol) = 0.754 moles

After dividing by the smallest mole value (0.754), we would have a ratio close to whole numbers for the empirical formula. Finally, we would use the molar mass of sucralose (397.63 g/mol) to determine the molecular formula from the empirical formula.

It's important to note that the FDA approved sucralose is a noncaloric sweetener synthesized from sucrose and is approximately 600 times sweeter than sucrose.

However, without performing the actual calculations step by step here, I cannot provide the exact empirical and molecular formulas for sucralose. You would need to complete the steps as outlined to find the precise formulas.

User Paul Becotte
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let's imagine you have 100 g of sucralose

C: 36.25 g No of moles = 36.25/12 = 3.02

H : 4.82 g No of moles = 4.82/1 = 4.82

Cl: 26.75 g No of moles = 26.75/35.5 = 0.75

O: 32.19 g No of moles = 32.19/16 = 2.01

divide all the four mole numbers by the smallest one (0.75)

Empirical formula = C4H6ClO3

Let the molecular formula be (C4H6ClO3)n.

(4x12+6x1+35.5+3x16) x n = 397.63

n = 3

Molecular formula = C12H18Cl3O9

the molecular formula I've searched online is C12H19Cl3O8 so I am also not very sure

User Toymakerii
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