Final answer:
The empirical formula of the compound can be determined by finding the ratio of the elements in the compound. In this case, the compound contains 52.2% carbon, 13.0% hydrogen, and 34.8% oxygen. The empirical formula of the compound is C₂H₅O.
Step-by-step explanation:
The empirical formula can be determined by finding the ratio of the elements in the compound. In this case, the compound contains 52.2% carbon, 13.0% hydrogen, and 34.8% oxygen. To find the empirical formula, we assume we have 100 grams of the compound. This means we have 52.2 grams of carbon, 13.0 grams of hydrogen, and 34.8 grams of oxygen.
To convert the masses to moles, divide each mass by the molar mass of the element. The molar masses of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen are 12.01 g/mol, 1.01 g/mol, and 16.00 g/mol, respectively. Dividing the masses by the molar masses gives us the following ratios: 52.2 g C / 12.01 g/mol = 4.35 mol C, 13.0 g H / 1.01 g/mol = 12.87 mol H, and 34.8 g O / 16.00 g/mol = 2.18 mol O.
Next, we divide each mole value by the smallest mole value to get the simplest ratio. In this case, dividing by 2.18 mol gives us the following ratio: 4.35 mol C / 2.18 mol = 2.00 mol C, 12.87 mol H / 2.18 mol = 5.91 mol H, and 2.18 mol O / 2.18 mol = 1.00 mol O.
The ratio of the elements is therefore 2 C : 5 H : 1 O. The empirical formula is often written in the simplest whole number ratio, so the empirical formula of the compound is C₂H₅O.