Question

An unidentified gas is determined to be 24.0% carbon and 76% fluorine by mass. What is the empirical formula of this gas

Answer 1

CF₂

Step-by-step explanation:

Let's assume we have 100 g of the gas. If that were the case we'd have

• 24 g of C

• 76 g of F

Now we convert both masses into moles, using their respective molar mass:

• 24 g C ÷ 12 g/mol = 2 mol C

• 76 g F ÷ 19 g/mol = 4 mol F

We can express those results as C₂F₄.

To determine the empirical formula we reduce those coefficients to the lowest possible integers, leaving us with CF₂.