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Synthesize Information If you calculate the percent composition of elements in a compound, is there enough information to determine the empirical formula for the compound? If yes, how? If no, improve the model by identifying and explaining additional information needed to identify the compound.

Synthesize Information If you calculate the percent composition of elements in a compound-example-1

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If you only have the percent composition of each element in a give compound, you can't determine yet the empirical formular for the compound. The problem is, the percent composition only gives relative numbers for each element. What can be determined is the empirical stochiometry of one element relative to the others.

For example, supose you have a compound with element X and Y, with the percent composition you can determine how much X you have relative to how much Y you have. Say you determine that for each 2 X you have 3 Y, the formula can be X₂Y₃ but it can also be X₄Y₆ or even othre possibilities.

To determine the empirical formula you need to know how many of one of the elements you have in each compound. A common way of getting the empirical formula is to use the percent composition and, in addition, the molar mass of the compound, which will make it possible to get the empirical formula from the relative ratios of each element you have.

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