Answer: C3H2O
Explanation: To find the empirical formula of the compound, we need to determine the simplest whole number ratio of atoms in the compound.
Assuming we have 100 g of the compound, we can convert the percentages to masses of each element:
Carbon: 66.7 g
Hydrogen: 3.74 g
Oxygen: 29.6 g
Next, we need to convert these masses to moles using the atomic masses:
Carbon: 66.7 g / 12.01 g/mol = 5.55 mol
Hydrogen: 3.74 g / 1.01 g/mol = 3.70 mol
Oxygen: 29.6 g / 16.00 g/mol = 1.85 mol
Now we need to divide each of these mole values by the smallest of the three:
Carbon: 5.55 mol / 1.85 mol = 3.00
Hydrogen: 3.70 mol / 1.85 mol = 2.00
Oxygen: 1.85 mol / 1.85 mol = 1.00
These ratios give us the empirical formula:
C3H2O
However, we can simplify this formula by dividing each subscript by 2:
C1.5H1O0.5
Finally, we can multiply through by 2 to get rid of the decimals:
C3H2O