Question

Question #ce7a4

Answer 1

`"C"_9"H"_8"O"_4`

Explanation:

As it turns out, the problem already provides you with the molecular formula and the empirical formula of aspirin, or acetylsalicyclic acid, `"C"_9"H"_8"O"_4`.


A compound's molecular formula tells you the exact number of atoms of each constituent element present in one molecule of this compound. In your case, one molecule of aspirin contains

• nine atoms of carbon, shown here in black
• eight atoms of hydrogen, shown here in light gray
• four atoms of oxygen, shown here in red

This is why the compound's molecular formula is `"C"_9"H"_8"O"_4`.

Now, the empirical formula tells you the smallest whole number ratio that exists between a compound's constituent elements.

In this case, a `9:8:4` ratio between carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen is already the smallest than can be expressed using whole numbers, which means that `"C"_9"H"_8"O"_4` is also the empirical formula of aspirin.

`color(green)(|bar(ul(color(white)(a/a)color(black)("C"_9"H"_8"O"_4)color(white)(a/a)|))) ->` empirical and molecular formula