Question

Methyl butyrate (component of apple taste and smell): 58.80%C, 9.87%H, and 31.33%O.

Express your answer as a chemical formula.
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Calculating an empirical formula involves dividing each mass by the molar mass of the given element. All mole values are then divided by the lowest mole amount and multiplied by a small whole number if necessary.

Answer 1

The empirical formula of methyl butyrate is C5H10O.

Step-by-step explanation:

The empirical formula of a compound can be determined by dividing the mole values of each element by the lowest mole amount and multiplying by a small whole number if necessary.

In the case of methyl butyrate, the compound contains 58.80% carbon, 9.87% hydrogen, and 31.33% oxygen. To find the empirical formula, we can assume a 100g sample of the compound. This means we have 58.80g of carbon, 9.87g of hydrogen, and 31.33g of oxygen.

Converting these masses to moles using the molar mass of each element, we get 4.9 moles of carbon, 9.76 moles of hydrogen, and 1.96 moles of oxygen.

Dividing these values by the lowest mole amount (1.96), we get a ratio of approximately 2.5:5:1. Rounding these numbers to the nearest whole number gives us the empirical formula of C5H10O.