Final answer:
To find the molecular formula of the compound, calculate the empirical formula first. The empirical formula is N1C1.6O2.25.
Step-by-step explanation:
To find the molecular formula of the compound, we need to determine the empirical formula first. The empirical formula gives the simplest whole number ratio of the elements present in the compound. To calculate the empirical formula, we need to convert the percentage composition to moles.
From the given percentages, we can assume we have 100 grams of the compound. This means that we have 48.8 grams of carbon, 14.14 grams of nitrogen, and 32.32 grams of oxygen.
After calculating the moles of each element, we divide the moles by the smallest number of moles (which is nitrogen in this case) to get the empirical formula. The ratio of nitrogen is 1 mole, carbon is approximately 1.6 moles, and oxygen is approximately 2.25 moles. So, the empirical formula is N1C1.6O2.25.
To find the molecular formula, we need to know the molar mass of the empirical formula. In this case, the molar mass is 198 g/mol. Divide the molar mass by the empirical formula mass (N + C + 2O = 14 + 12.01 + 2(16) = 58.01) to find the whole number multiplier. The multiplier is approximately 3.41, so we can round it to 3. Therefore, the molecular formula is N3C4.8O6.75.