Question

By process of incineration, a mystery substance is empirically determined to contain 40.00% carbon by weight, 6.67% hydrogen, and 53.33% oxygen. Its molecular weight ranges between 55 and 62 g/mole. a. (6 points) Determine the chemical formula of this substance

Answer 1

C₂H₄O₂

Step-by-step explanation:

Step 1: Divide each percentage by the atomic mass of the element

C: 40.00/12.01 = 3.331

H: 6.67/1.01 = 6.60

O: 53.33/16.00 = 3.333

Step 2: Divide all the numbers by the smallest one

C: 3.331/3.331 = 1

H: 6.60/3.331 ≈ 2

O: 3.333/3.331 ≈ 1

The empirical formula is CH₂O, with a molecular weight of 12 g/mol + 2 × 1 g/mol + 16 g/mol = 30 g/mol. The molecular weight of the compound must be a product of 30, such as 60 (between 55 and 62 g/mol). Since we have to multiply by 2 (30 to 60) to get to the molecular weight of the compound, we also have to multiply the empirical formula by 2 to get the chemical formula of the compound.

CH₂O × 2 = C₂H₄O₂