Question

A molecule contains 23.24 g iodine (I),

2.198 g carbon (C), and 2.562 g nitrogen
(N). What is its empirical formula?

Answer 1

Convert each amount of grams into moles:

I: 23.24g x 1 mol / 126.90g = 0.1831 mol I

C: 2.198 x 1 mol / 12.01g = 0.1830 mol C

N: 2.562 x 1 mol / 14.01g = 0.1829 mol N

Each element has roughly the same amount of moles, which means the whole number ratio between the elements is 1:1:1

Therefore the empirical formula is ICN