Multiple Choice
Which of the following pairs of compounds have the same empirical formula?
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3. Chemical Reactions
Empirical Formula
Multiple Choice
Which of the following pairs of compounds do NOT have the same empirical formula?
A
C2H2 and C6H6
B
C6H12O6 and C2H4O2
C
C4H10 and C2H6
D
C2H4 and C3H6
Verified step by step guidance1
Recall that the empirical formula represents the simplest whole-number ratio of atoms of each element in a compound.
For each pair of compounds, determine the empirical formula by dividing the subscripts of each element by their greatest common divisor (GCD).
For example, for C2H2, the GCD of 2 and 2 is 2, so the empirical formula is C1H1 (or CH). For C6H6, the GCD of 6 and 6 is 6, so the empirical formula is also CH. This means C2H2 and C6H6 have the same empirical formula.
Repeat this process for each pair: find the GCD of the subscripts in each compound, divide the subscripts by the GCD, and compare the resulting empirical formulas.
Identify the pair whose empirical formulas differ after simplification; that pair does NOT have the same empirical formula.
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