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An oxide of iron has the following composition: Fe= 72.4% O= 27.6%. Determine the empirical formula only.

1 Answer

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Answer:

the empirical formula is Fe3O4.

Step-by-step explanation:

1. Assume you have 100 grams of this stuff.

You then have:

72.4 g of Fe

27.6 g of O

2. Convert each to moles.

72.4 g of Fe/55.85 = 1.296 mol Fe

27.6 g of O/16 = 1.725 mol O

3. Divide by the least moles number.

1.296 mol Fe/1.296=1

1.725 mol O/1.296=1.33

4. Write out the formula.

FeO1.33

The 1.33 = 4/3

✨So, just multiply by the lowest common number to get the 4/3 to be a whole number,

which happens to be a 3, so

the empirical formula is Fe3O4.

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