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Multiple Choice
What is the empirical formula for a compound that contains 39.5% carbon, 2.21% hydrogen, and 58.3% chlorine?
A
CHCl
B
C2H2Cl2
C
CH2Cl
D
C2HCl3
Verified step by step guidance
1
Convert the percentage of each element to grams, assuming you have 100 grams of the compound. This means you have 39.5 grams of carbon, 2.21 grams of hydrogen, and 58.3 grams of chlorine.
Convert the mass of each element to moles by dividing by their respective molar masses: Carbon (C) has a molar mass of approximately 12.01 g/mol, Hydrogen (H) is about 1.01 g/mol, and Chlorine (Cl) is about 35.45 g/mol.
Calculate the moles of each element: \( \text{moles of C} = \frac{39.5}{12.01} \), \( \text{moles of H} = \frac{2.21}{1.01} \), \( \text{moles of Cl} = \frac{58.3}{35.45} \).
Determine the simplest whole number ratio of moles of each element by dividing each by the smallest number of moles calculated in the previous step.
Use the whole number ratios to write the empirical formula. If necessary, multiply the ratios by a common factor to get whole numbers for each element in the formula.