The empirical formula for the compound that is 32% Cobalt, 15% Nitrogen, and 53% Oxygen is CoNO3, with a ratio of 1:1:3 for Cobalt, Nitrogen, and Oxygen, respectively.
To calculate the empirical formula of a compound, we need to determine the ratio of the elements present in the compound.
Given that the compound is 32% Cobalt, 15% Nitrogen, and 53% Oxygen, we can assume that we have 100 grams of the compound.
1. Convert the percentages to grams:
- Cobalt: 32% of 100 grams = 32 grams
- Nitrogen: 15% of 100 grams = 15 grams
- Oxygen: 53% of 100 grams = 53 grams
2. Convert the grams to moles:
- Cobalt: 32 grams / molar mass of Cobalt (Co) = X moles
- Nitrogen: 15 grams / molar mass of Nitrogen (N) = Y moles
- Oxygen: 53 grams / molar mass of Oxygen (O) = Z moles
3. Determine the ratio of the elements:
- Divide the moles of each element by the smallest number of moles obtained. This will give us the simplest whole-number ratio.
Assuming the molar masses are:
- Co: 58.93 g/mol
- N: 14.01 g/mol
- O: 16.00 g/mol
- Co: 32 g / 58.93 g/mol = 0.544 moles
- N: 15 g / 14.01 g/mol = 1.07 moles
- O: 53 g / 16.00 g/mol = 3.31 moles
4. Round the moles to the nearest whole number:
- Co: 0.544 ≈ 1
- N: 1.07 ≈ 1
- O: 3.31 ≈ 3
5. Write the empirical formula using the whole number ratio:
The empirical formula for the compound is CoNO3, with a ratio of 1:1:3 for Cobalt, Nitrogen, and Oxygen, respectively.