Table of contents

1. The Chemical World9m
- The Scientific Method
  9m
2. Measurement and Problem Solving2h 19m
3. Matter and Energy2h 15m
4. Atoms and Elements2h 33m
5. Molecules and Compounds1h 50m
6. Chemical Composition1h 23m
7. Chemical Reactions1h 43m
8. Quantities in Chemical Reactions1h 8m
9. Electrons in Atoms and the Periodic Table2h 32m
10. Chemical Bonding2h 10m
11 Gases2h 7m
12. Liquids, Solids, and Intermolecular Forces1h 11m
13. Solutions3h 1m
14. Acids and Bases2h 14m
15. Chemical Equilibrium1h 27m
16. Oxidation and Reduction1h 33m
17. Radioactivity and Nuclear Chemistry53m

6. Chemical Composition

Empirical Formula

Introduction to Chemistry

6. Chemical Composition

Empirical Formula

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Multiple Choice

A compound that contains only carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen is composed of 48.64% C and 43.2% O by mass. What is the empirical formula of this compound?

C₃H₆O₂

CH₂O₂

CH₄O

C₂H₆O₂

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Verified step by step guidance

Step 1: Begin by assuming you have 100 grams of the compound. This assumption simplifies calculations because the percentage of each element can be directly converted to grams. Therefore, you have 48.64 grams of carbon, 43.2 grams of oxygen, and the remainder will be hydrogen.

Step 2: Calculate the mass of hydrogen. Since the total mass is 100 grams, subtract the mass of carbon and oxygen from 100 grams to find the mass of hydrogen: 100 - 48.64 - 43.2 = 8.16 grams of hydrogen.

Step 3: Convert the masses of each element to moles using their respective molar masses. The molar mass of carbon (C) is approximately 12.01 g/mol, hydrogen (H) is approximately 1.01 g/mol, and oxygen (O) is approximately 16.00 g/mol. Use the formula: \( ext{moles} = \frac{ ext{mass}}{ ext{molar mass}} \).

Step 4: Calculate the moles of each element: \( ext{moles of C} = \frac{48.64}{12.01} \), \( ext{moles of H} = \frac{8.16}{1.01} \), \( ext{moles of O} = \frac{43.2}{16.00} \).

Step 5: Determine the empirical formula by finding the simplest whole number ratio of moles of each element. Divide the moles of each element by the smallest number of moles calculated in the previous step. Round to the nearest whole number to find the ratio of atoms in the empirical formula.