(a) Combustion analysis of 150.0 mg of 1,2,3,benzenetriol, a compound composed of carbon, hydrogen, and oxy-gen, gives 64.3 mg of H2O and 314.2 mg of CO2. What is the empirical formula of 1,2,3,benzenetriol?

Combustion analysis is a technique used to determine the elemental composition of organic compounds. In this process, a sample is burned in excess oxygen, producing carbon dioxide and water. The masses of these products are measured, allowing for the calculation of the amounts of carbon and hydrogen in the original sample, which are essential for determining the empirical formula.

The empirical formula of a compound represents the simplest whole-number ratio of the elements present in that compound. It is derived from the amounts of each element obtained from combustion analysis. For example, if a compound contains 2 moles of carbon and 6 moles of hydrogen, its empirical formula would be CH3, reflecting the simplest ratio.

The mole concept is a fundamental principle in chemistry that relates the mass of a substance to the number of particles it contains. One mole of any substance contains Avogadro's number (approximately 6.022 x 10^23) of entities, whether they are atoms, molecules, or ions. This concept is crucial for converting the mass of products from combustion analysis into moles, which are then used to find the empirical formula.