Final answer:
To determine the molecular formula of a compound, we need to first calculate the empirical formula using the percent composition. The empirical formula of the compound with a molar mass of approximately 180 g/mol and a percent composition of 40.00% Carbon, 6.72% Hydrogen, and 53.29% Oxygen is C₁₂H₁₂O₁₂.
Step-by-step explanation:
To determine the molecular formula of a compound, we need to first calculate the empirical formula using the percent composition. The percent composition tells us the proportion of each element in the compound. In this case, the compound has 40.00% carbon, 6.72% hydrogen, and 53.29% oxygen. We can convert these percentages to moles by assuming a 100-gram sample. Then, we find the ratio of the moles of each element and simplify it to the lowest whole-number ratio. The simplified ratio represents the empirical formula. Finally, we calculate the molar mass of the empirical formula and compare it to the given molar mass to determine the molecular formula.
In this case, the empirical formula is C₁H₁O₁ (empirical formula mass = 12.01 + 1.01 + 2.01 = 15.03 g/mol). The molar mass of the compound is given as approximately 180 g/mol. To find the molecular formula, we divide the molar mass by the empirical formula mass (180 g/mol ÷ 15.03 g/mol = 11.96). Since the result is close to 12, we can multiply the empirical formula by 12 to obtain the molecular formula, which is C₁₂H₁₂O₁₂.