Final answer:
The empirical formula for the compound with 52.03% Ag, 17.10% Cl, and 30.87% O is AgClO4, obtained by calculating the simplest whole number ratio of moles of each element.
Step-by-step explanation:
The empirical formula for a compound that consists of 52.03% Ag, 17.10% Cl, and 30.87% O is determined by converting these percentages into moles and then finding the simplest whole number ratio of the elements. First, divide each percentage by the atomic mass of each element to find the number of moles.
Ag (52.03 ÷ 107.87 = 0.482 moles), Cl (17.10 ÷ 35.45 = 0.482 moles), and O (30.87 ÷ 16.00 = 1.93 moles). Then, divide all by the smallest number of moles to find the simplest whole number ratio: Ag (0.482 ÷ 0.482 = 1), Cl (0.482 ÷ 0.482 = 1), and O (1.93 ÷ 0.482 ≈ 4). Hence, the empirical formula is AgClO4.