Answer:
C₂H₃O₂
Explanation:
Assume that you have 100 g of the compound.
Then you have 40.68 g C, 5.08 g H, and 54.24 g O.
1. Calculate the <em>moles of each element</em>.
Moles of C = 40.68 × 1/12.01 = 3.387 mol C
Moles of H = 5.08 × 1/1.008 = 5.010 mol H
Moles of O = 54.24 × 1/16.000 = 3.390 mol O
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2. Calculate the <em>molar ratios</em>.
Divide all values by the smallest number.
C: 3.387/3.387 = 1
H: 5.010/3.387 = 1.479
O: 3.390/3.387 = 1.001
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3. <em>Multiply each ratio by 2
</em>
C: 2 × 1 = 2
H: 2 × 1.479 = 2.958
O: 2 × 1.001 = 2.002
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4. Determine <em>the empirical formula</em>
Round off all numbers to the closest integer.
C: 2
H: 3
O: 2
The empirical formula is C₂H₃O₂.
