A 3.00 g sample of an unknown compound contains 1.20 g of carbon, 0.20 g of hydrogen, and the rest is oxygen. The empirical formula of the compound is ______.
Answer & Analysis
Analysis
Question Analysis
This question involves calculating an empirical formula from the mass of each element in a sample. The main focus is on finding the mass of the unknown element (oxygen) first, then converting all masses to mole ratios.
Key Concept Explanation
When the mass of one element is not given, calculate it by subtracting the sum of the known masses from the total sample mass. Then follow the standard empirical formula steps: mass → moles → mole ratio → whole numbers.
Step-by-Step Solution
1. Calculate mass of oxygen:
2. Calculate moles of each element:
C:
H:
Want More Practice Questions?
Access thousands of practice questions with detailed explanations on Scholardog.