Question

A sample of indium chloride weighing 0.5000 g is found to contain 0.2404 g of chlorine. What is the empirical formula of the indium compound?

Answer 1

Answer:

The answer to your question is Empirical formula  InCl₃

Explanation:

Data

InCl = 0.5 g

Cl = 0.2404 g

Empirical formula = ?

Process

1.- Calculate the mass of Indium

    Total mass = mass of Indium + mass of Chlorine

     0.50 = mass of Indium + 0.2404

     mass of Indium = 0.50 - 0.2404

     mass of Indium = 0.2596 g

2.- Calculate the moles of Indium and Chloride

Atomic mass Indium = 115 g

Atomic mass Chlorine = 35.5 g

                       115 g of In ------------------ 1 mol

                     0.2596 g of In ------------- x

                        x = (0.2596 x 1) / 115

                        x = 0.0023 moles of Indium

                        35.5 g of Cl ------------- 1 mol

                         0.2404 g    --------------- x

                          x = (0.2404 x 1) / 35.5

                          x = 0.0068 moles of Cl

3.- Divide by the lowest number of moles

Indium     0.0023 / 0.0023 = 1

Chlorine  0.0068 / 0.0023 = 3

4.- Write the empirical formula

                                       InCl₃