Question

A compound with the empirical formula ch2 has a molar mass of 70 g/mol. what is the molecular formula for this compound?

Answer 1

Answer:

C12H24

Explanation:

on apex

Answer 2

The empirical formula, CH2, has a relative molecular mass of

1×(12.01)+2×(1.01)=14.04

This means that the empirical formula must be multiplied by a factor to bring up its molecular weight to 70. This factor can be calculated as the ratio of the relative masses of the molecular and empirical formulas

7014.04=4.98≈5

Remember that subscripts in molecular formulas must be in whole numbers, hence the rounding-off. Finally, the molecular formula is

C1×5H2×5=C5H10