An unknown compound contains only carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen (CxHxOx). Combustion of 3.50G of this compound produced 5.13G of carbon dioxide and 2.10G of water

A.How many moles of carbon, , were in the original sample?

b. How many moles of hydrogen, , were in the original sample?

i got for A) 0.117 mol

5.13 g CO2 x (1 mol CO2/44g) x (1 mol C/1 mol CO2) = ? and I don't believe that is 0.117

2.10g H2O x (1 mol H2O/18) x (2 mol H/1 mol H2O) = ?

thank you

To determine the moles of carbon and hydrogen in the original sample, we need to follow a step-by-step process:

Step 1: Calculate the moles of carbon dioxide (CO2) produced.
Given: Mass of carbon dioxide (CO2) = 5.13 g.

The molar mass of carbon dioxide (CO2) is 44.01 g/mol. Therefore, we can use the formula:

Moles of CO2 = Mass of CO2 / Molar mass of CO2.

Moles of CO2 = 5.13 g / 44.01 g/mol.

Step 2: Calculate the moles of water (H2O) produced.
Given: Mass of water (H2O) = 2.10 g.

The molar mass of water (H2O) is 18.02 g/mol. Therefore, we can use the formula:

Moles of H2O = Mass of H2O / Molar mass of H2O.

Moles of H2O = 2.10 g / 18.02 g/mol.

Step 3: Use the coefficients from the balanced equation to relate the moles of carbon dioxide (CO2) and water (H2O) to the moles of carbon (C) and hydrogen (H) in the original sample.

From the balanced equation for the combustion reaction:

CxHyOz + (x + z/4) O2 → x CO2 + (y/2) H2O.

We can see that for every 1 mole of carbon, x moles of carbon dioxide (CO2) are produced, and for every 1 mole of hydrogen, y/2 moles of water (H2O) are produced.

Step 4: Calculate the moles of carbon (C) and hydrogen (H) in the original sample.
Given: Moles of CO2 = 5.13 g / 44.01 g/mol (from step 1).
Moles of H2O = 2.10 g / 18.02 g/mol (from step 2).

Using the information from step 3, we can write the equations:

Moles of C = Moles of CO2 x (1 mole of C / x moles of CO2).
Moles of H = Moles of H2O x (2 moles of H / y moles of H2O).

Substitute the known values:

Moles of C = (5.13 g / 44.01 g/mol) x (1 mole of C / x moles of CO2).
Moles of H = (2.10 g / 18.02 g/mol) x (2 moles of H / y moles of H2O).

To find the values of x and y, we need additional information. Unfortunately, with the available information, we cannot directly determine the moles of carbon and hydrogen in the original sample.