I am trying to determine a compound 80.48% carbon (C), 7.37% hydrogen (H), 9.39% nitrogen (N), 2.68% oxygen (O) - what is the empirical formula of the compound?
1 Answer
The empirical formula is
Start by writing the ratio in grams by which they combine:
C : H : N : O
80.48 : 7.37 : 9.39 : 2.68
Then convert to moles by dividing by the mass of 1 mole:
This gives:
6.70 : 7.37 : 0.67 : 0.1675
if we divide these by 0.1675 we get:
40 : 44 : 4 : 1
So the empirical formula is :