Open Question
What is the empirical formula of nitrogen chloride given that a 0.77 mg sample of nitrogen reacts with chlorine to form 6.61 mg of the chloride?
1
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3. Chemical Reactions
Empirical Formula
Multiple Choice
A 0.2500 g sample of a compound known to contain carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen undergoes complete combustion to produce 0.3664 g of CO2 and 0.1500 g of H2O. What is the empirical formula of this compound? (Please use a 1 for any understood 1 that may be in)
A
C3H6O3
B
C2H4O
C
C1H2O1
D
C1H4O2
Verified step by step guidance1
Step 1: Begin by determining the moles of carbon in the CO2 produced. Use the molar mass of CO2 (44.01 g/mol) to convert the mass of CO2 to moles. The formula is: \( \text{moles of CO2} = \frac{0.3664 \text{ g}}{44.01 \text{ g/mol}} \). Since each mole of CO2 contains one mole of carbon, the moles of carbon will be the same as the moles of CO2.
Step 2: Calculate the moles of hydrogen in the H2O produced. Use the molar mass of H2O (18.02 g/mol) to convert the mass of H2O to moles. The formula is: \( \text{moles of H2O} = \frac{0.1500 \text{ g}}{18.02 \text{ g/mol}} \). Since each mole of H2O contains two moles of hydrogen, multiply the moles of H2O by 2 to find the moles of hydrogen.
Step 3: Determine the mass of carbon and hydrogen in the original compound using their respective moles and atomic masses. For carbon, use the atomic mass of 12.01 g/mol, and for hydrogen, use 1.008 g/mol. Calculate the mass of carbon: \( \text{mass of carbon} = \text{moles of carbon} \times 12.01 \text{ g/mol} \). Calculate the mass of hydrogen: \( \text{mass of hydrogen} = \text{moles of hydrogen} \times 1.008 \text{ g/mol} \).
Step 4: Subtract the mass of carbon and hydrogen from the total mass of the compound to find the mass of oxygen. Use the formula: \( \text{mass of oxygen} = 0.2500 \text{ g} - (\text{mass of carbon} + \text{mass of hydrogen}) \).
Step 5: Convert the mass of oxygen to moles using the atomic mass of oxygen (16.00 g/mol). The formula is: \( \text{moles of oxygen} = \frac{\text{mass of oxygen}}{16.00 \text{ g/mol}} \). Finally, determine the empirical formula by finding the simplest whole number ratio of moles of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen.
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