What is the empirical formula of a substance that contains 2.64 g of c, 0.444 g of h, and 7.04 g of o?

To calculate empirical formula, number of moles of different atoms calculated first:

Number of moles of Carbon , n=  

=

=

= 0.220 mol  

Number of moles H =

=

= 0.440 mol

Number of moles of oxygen =

=

= 0.440 mol

Ratio of carbon

=

= 1

Ratio of hydrogen

=

= 2  

Ratio of oxygen

=

= 2  

So, the empirical formula is CH₂O₂

The empirical formula for the given compound is

Explanation:

We are given:

Mass of C = 2.64 g

Mass of H = 0.444 g

Mass of O = 7.04 g

To formulate the empirical formula, we need to follow some steps:

Moles of Carbon =

Moles of Hydrogen =

Moles of Oxygen =

For the mole ratio, we divide each value of the moles by the smallest number of moles calculated which is 0.22 moles.

For Carbon =

For Hydrogen  =

For Oxygen  =

The ratio of C : H : O = 1 : 2 : 2

Hence, the empirical formula for the given compound is