Final answer:
To find the empirical formula of geraniol from combustion data, convert the masses of CO₂ and H₂O to moles to determine the moles of carbon and hydrogen. Then, calculate the moles of oxygen in geraniol. Lastly, derive the empirical formula by establishing the simplest whole-number ratio of these elements.
Step-by-step explanation:
The empirical formula for a compound represents the simplest whole-number ratio of atoms of each element in the compound. To determine the empirical formula of geraniol from the given combustion data, we will first convert the mass of CO₂ and H₂O produced into moles to find the amounts of carbon and hydrogen in the original geraniol sample. We will then calculate the mole ratio of these elements and include oxygen to complete the empirical formula.
Steps to Calculate the Empirical Formula from Combustion Data:
- Convert the mass of CO₂ (499 mg) to moles (Molar mass of CO₂ = 44.01 g/mol).
- Calculate the moles of carbon from the moles of CO₂ (since each molecule of CO₂ has one atom of carbon).
- Convert the mass of H₂O (184 mg) to moles (Molar mass of H₂O = 18.02 g/mol).
- Calculate the moles of hydrogen from the moles of H₂O (since each molecule of H₂O has two atoms of hydrogen).
- Determine the moles of oxygen in geraniol by considering the initial mass of geraniol and subtracting the mass contributed by carbon and hydrogen.
- Divide the moles of each element by the smallest number of moles to find the simplest whole-number ratio.
- Write the empirical formula with carbon and hydrogen at the beginning, followed by oxygen.
By following these steps, we can provide the empirical formula for geraniol, which will look something like CₙHₚ₊ₓ, where x, y, and z represent the whole-number ratios of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen atoms respectively.