Questions: Determine the empirical formula for a compound that has 95 g C and 5 g H.

Transcript text: Determine the empirical formula for a compound that has 95 g C and 5 g H.

Solution

Solution Steps

Step 1: Determine the number of moles of each element

First, we need to find the number of moles of carbon (C) and hydrogen (H) in the compound. We use the molar masses of C and H, which are approximately 12.01 g/mol and 1.008 g/mol, respectively.

\[ \text{Moles of C} = \frac{95 \, \text{g}}{12.01 \, \text{g/mol}} = 7.9092 \, \text{mol} \]

\[ \text{Moles of H} = \frac{5 \, \text{g}}{1.008 \, \text{g/mol}} = 4.9603 \, \text{mol} \]

Step 2: Determine the simplest whole number ratio

Next, we find the simplest whole number ratio of the moles of C to H by dividing each by the smallest number of moles calculated.

\[ \text{Ratio of C} = \frac{7.9092}{4.9603} = 1.594 \]

\[ \text{Ratio of H} = \frac{4.9603}{4.9603} = 1 \]

Step 3: Convert to the nearest whole number ratio

To convert the ratio to the nearest whole number, we multiply both ratios by a factor that will make them whole numbers. In this case, multiplying by 2 works:

\[ \text{Ratio of C} = 1.594 \times 2 = 3.188 \approx 3 \]

\[ \text{Ratio of H} = 1 \times 2 = 2 \]