The empirical formula for a compound with the molecular formula C6H12N2O4 is?
If you can divide all of the subscripts by 1(ONLY) then what you have is the molecular formula and the empirical formula. If the subscripts can be divided by any other number, the new numbers will be the empirical formula. It appears to me that you can divide 6,12,2, and 4 by 2 evenly.
To determine the empirical formula of a compound, we need to find the simplest whole-number ratio of the atoms present in the molecule. In this case, we are given the molecular formula as C6H12N2O4.
To find the empirical formula, we must divide the subscripts by their greatest common divisor (GCD).
Step 1: Find the GCD of the subscripts for each element.
For carbon (C):
The subscript is 6.
For hydrogen (H):
The subscript is 12.
For nitrogen (N):
The subscript is 2.
For oxygen (O):
The subscript is 4.
The GCD of 6, 12, 2, and 4 is 2.
Step 2: Divide each subscript by the GCD.
For carbon (C):
6 ÷ 2 = 3
For hydrogen (H):
12 ÷ 2 = 6
For nitrogen (N):
2 ÷ 2 = 1
For oxygen (O):
4 ÷ 2 = 2
Step 3: Write the simplified subscripts to obtain the empirical formula.
The empirical formula for the compound with the molecular formula C6H12N2O4 is C3H6N1O2, which is the simplest whole-number ratio of the atoms present in the compound.