Final answer:
The empirical formula of the compound is Ca(OH)2, and the correct name is calcium hydroxide, which is found by converting the masses to moles and then calculating the simplest mole ratio.
Step-by-step explanation:
To find the empirical formula of the compound, we must convert the given masses of calcium (Ca), oxygen (O), and hydrogen (H) to moles. We do this by dividing the mass of each element by its respective atomic weight (Ca: 40.08 g/mol, O: 16.00 g/mol, H: 1.01 g/mol).
- Ca: 13.0 g / 40.08 g/mol = 0.324 moles of Ca
- O: 10.8 g / 16.00 g/mol = 0.675 moles of O
- H: 0.675 g / 1.01 g/mol = 0.668 moles of H
Next, we find the smallest ratio of the moles of each element by dividing each by the smallest number of moles calculated above (0.324).
- Ca: 0.324 moles / 0.324 = 1
- O: 0.675 moles / 0.324 = 2.08 ≈ 2
- H: 0.668 moles / 0.324 = 2.06 ≈ 2
The ratio of Ca:O:H is approximately 1:2:2. Therefore, the empirical formula is Ca(OH)2. The correct name of the compound with this empirical formula is calcium hydroxide.