Question

A laboratory analysis of vanillin, the flavoring agent in vanilla, indicates that its mass percent composition is 63.15% C, 5.30% H, and 31.55% O. Determine the empirical formula of vanillin.

Answer 1

Answer:

C3H3O

Explanation:

Now, what we need to do is to divide the percentage compositions by the relative atomic masses.

The relative atomic mass of carbon 12, the relative atomic mass of hydrogen is 1 while the atomic mass of oxygen is 16.

We now do the divisions as follows:

Carbon = 63.15/12 = 5.2625

Oxygen = 31.55/16 = 1.971875

Hydrogen = 5.30/1 = 5.30

Now,we now divide by the smallest I.e that of oxygen.

Carbon = 5.2625/1.971875 = 2.668

Oxygen = 1.971875/1.971875 = 1

Hydrogen = 5.3/1.971875= 2.688

We can round up the ratio of carbon and hydrogen to 3.

Thus, the empirical formula is C3H3O