To determine the empirical formula of a compound based on its percentage composition, we need to convert the percentages to moles and then find the simplest ratio between the elements.
Let's start by assuming we have 100 grams of the compound. This means we have:
- 52.8 grams of Sn
- 12.4 grams of Fe
- 16.0 grams of C
- 18.8 grams of N
Next, we need to convert these masses to moles by dividing each mass by its respective molar mass. The molar masses of Sn, Fe, C, and N are 118.71 g/mol, 55.85 g/mol, 12.01 g/mol, and 14.01 g/mol, respectively.
- Moles of Sn = 52.8 g / 118.71 g/mol
- Moles of Fe = 12.4 g / 55.85 g/mol
- Moles of C = 16.0 g / 12.01 g/mol
- Moles of N = 18.8 g / 14.01 g/mol
Simplifying these calculations, we find:
- Moles of Sn ≈ 0.445
- Moles of Fe ≈ 0.222
- Moles of C ≈ 1.332
- Moles of N ≈ 1.341
To find the simplest ratio between the elements, we divide the number of moles of each element by the smallest number of moles. In this case, the smallest number of moles is approximately 0.222 (corresponding to Fe).
- Moles of Sn ≈ 0.445 / 0.222 ≈ 2.00
- Moles of Fe ≈ 0.222 / 0.222 ≈ 1.00
- Moles of C ≈ 1.332 / 0.222 ≈ 6.00
- Moles of N ≈ 1.341 / 0.222 ≈ 6.05
Rounding these values to the nearest whole number, we get:
- Moles of Sn = 2
- Moles of Fe = 1
- Moles of C = 6
- Moles of N = 6
Therefore, the empirical formula of the compound is Sn2FeC6N6.