Answer:
To find the empirical formula of menthol, we need to determine the ratio of the elements present in the compound.
First, let's calculate the number of moles of carbon dioxide (CO2) produced:
Molar mass of CO2 = 12.01 g/mol (1 carbon atom) + 2 * 16.00 g/mol (2 oxygen atoms)
= 12.01 g/mol + 32.00 g/mol
= 44.01 g/mol
Number of moles of CO2 = Mass of CO2 / Molar mass of CO2
= 0.2829 g / 44.01 g/mol
≈ 0.00643 mol
Next, we'll calculate the number of moles of water (H2O) produced:
Molar mass of H2O = 1.01 g/mol (2 hydrogen atoms) + 16.00 g/mol (1 oxygen atom)
= 18.01 g/mol
Number of moles of H2O = Mass of H2O / Molar mass of H2O
= 0.1159 g / 18.01 g/mol
≈ 0.00643 mol
Now, let's determine the ratio of moles between carbon and hydrogen:
Number of moles of carbon = 0.00643 mol
Number of moles of hydrogen = 0.00643 mol * 2 (since there are 2 hydrogen atoms per water molecule)
= 0.01286 mol
To find the simplest ratio, we divide the number of moles by the smallest number of moles (0.00643 mol in this case):
Number of moles of carbon (rounded to nearest whole number) = 1
Number of moles of hydrogen (rounded to nearest whole number) = 2
Therefore, the empirical formula of menthol is CH2.