4.56 g of a molecule containing only carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen atoms react with elemental oxygen to produce 11.8 g of CO2 and 2.41g of H20. What is the empirical formula of the compound?
The Correct Answer and Explanation is :
The empirical formula of the compound is C4H4O.
Explanation:
In this problem, we are asked to find the empirical formula of a compound containing only carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. The compound undergoes combustion, and the products are carbon dioxide (CO2) and water (H2O). We are given the masses of the compound and the products.
To find the empirical formula, we can follow these steps:
- Determine the Moles of Carbon and Hydrogen:
- The mass of CO2 produced indicates the amount of carbon in the compound, as each mole of CO2 contains 1 mole of carbon.
- The mass of H2O produced indicates the amount of hydrogen in the compound, as each mole of H2O contains 2 moles of hydrogen.
- Determine the Moles of Oxygen:
- The mass of oxygen in the compound can be found by subtracting the mass of carbon and hydrogen from the total mass of the compound.
- The moles of oxygen are calculated by dividing the mass of oxygen by the molar mass of oxygen.
- Calculate the Mole Ratios:
- The moles of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen are compared to find their ratios in the compound.
- These ratios are then simplified to the nearest whole numbers to determine the empirical formula.
In this case, the mole ratios of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen are approximately 4:4:1, which simplifies to the empirical formula C4H4O. This represents the simplest whole-number ratio of the atoms in the compound.
I’ll generate an image to visualize the steps of this process.
Here is the illustration of the process to determine the empirical formula. It shows the steps involved in calculating the empirical formula of the compound, from combustion to the final simplification of the mole ratios. Let me know if you need any further clarification!
