Question

a 25.37 g sample of a compound is found to contain 8.24 g carbon, 0.92 g hydrogen and 16.21 g chlorine. what is the empirical formula for this compound?

Answer 1

The empirical formula for the compound with the given masses of carbon, hydrogen, and chlorine is C1.5H2Cl.

Step-by-step explanation:

To determine the empirical formula of a compound, we need to find the ratio of the atoms in the compound. In this case, we are given the masses of carbon, hydrogen, and chlorine in the compound.

First, we calculate the moles of each element:

Carbon: 8.24 g / 12.01 g/mol = 0.686 mol

Hydrogen: 0.92 g / 1.01 g/mol = 0.911 mol

Chlorine: 16.21 g / 35.45 g/mol = 0.457 mol

Next, we divide each mole value by the smallest mole value to get the simplest whole-number ratio:

Carbon: 0.686 mol / 0.457 mol = 1.50

Hydrogen: 0.911 mol / 0.457 mol = 2.00

Chlorine: 0.457 mol / 0.457 mol = 1.00

The empirical formula of the compound is therefore C1.5H2Cl.