A substance has a molecular formula of C8H10N4O2. The empirical formula is -
The smallest set of whole numbers is
C4H5N2O
A substance has a molecular formula of C8H10N4O2. The empirical formula is
C4H5N2O
To determine the empirical formula, you need to find the simplest whole-number ratio of the atoms in the compound. You can do this by finding the greatest common divisor (GCD) of the number of atoms of each element.
In the given molecular formula C8H10N4O2, you have 8 carbon (C) atoms, 10 hydrogen (H) atoms, 4 nitrogen (N) atoms, and 2 oxygen (O) atoms.
To find the GCD, you can first divide each number by the smallest count (2 oxygen atoms):
- C8H10N4O2 / 2 = C4H5N2O1
Now you have 4 carbon (C) atoms, 5 hydrogen (H) atoms, 2 nitrogen (N) atoms, and 1 oxygen (O) atom.
Next, divide each count by the GCD (which is 1):
- C4H5N2O1 / 1 = C4H5N2O1
Therefore, the empirical formula is C4H5N2O1.