Question

An unknown compound has the following chemical formula: PCIx, where x stands for a whole number. Measurements also show that a certain sample of the unknown compound contains 8.8 mol of chlorine and 1.75 mol of phosphorus. Write the complete chemical formula for the unknown compound.

Answer 1

The complete chemical formula for the unknown compound is PCI5.

Step-by-step explanation:

To write the complete chemical formula for the unknown compound PCIx, where x stands for a whole number, we need to determine the value of x based on the given information. The sample contains 8.8 mol of chlorine and 1.75 mol of phosphorus. Since the compound's formula contains one phosphorus atom, the atomic ratio of chlorine to phosphorus is 8.8:1.75.

To simplify the ratio, we can divide both numbers by the smaller value, 1.75. This gives us a ratio of 5:1. Therefore, the chemical formula for the unknown compound is PCI5.