Determine the empirical formulas of the compounds with the following compositions by mass: c. 62.1% C, 5.21% H, 12.1% N, and the remainder O

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Step 1: Assume you have 100 grams of the compound. This way, the percentages can be directly converted to grams.

Step 2: Convert the mass of each element to moles by dividing by their respective molar masses: C (12.01 g/mol), H (1.008 g/mol), N (14.01 g/mol), and O (16.00 g/mol).

Step 3: Determine the mole ratio of the elements by dividing each element's mole value by the smallest number of moles calculated in Step 2.

Step 4: If necessary, multiply the ratios by a whole number to get whole numbers for each element in the formula.

Step 5: Write the empirical formula using the whole number ratios as subscripts for each element.

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Key Concepts

Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.

Empirical Formula

The empirical formula of a compound represents the simplest whole-number ratio of the elements present in that compound. It is derived from the percentage composition of each element, allowing chemists to understand the basic composition without detailing the molecular structure.

Mass Percent Composition

Mass percent composition refers to the percentage by mass of each element in a compound. It is calculated by dividing the mass of each element by the total mass of the compound and multiplying by 100. This information is crucial for determining the empirical formula from given mass percentages.

Mole Concept

The mole concept is a fundamental principle in chemistry that relates the mass of a substance to the number of particles it contains. One mole of any substance contains Avogadro's number (approximately 6.022 x 10^23) of entities, allowing for conversions between mass and moles, which is essential for calculating empirical formulas.

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