How do you find the empirical formula; A 4.083 sample of a chemical containing only lead, carbon, and hydrogen reacts in combustion reaction. 4.444 g of CO2 and 2.274 g of H2O were formed. Insert subscripts in CHPb. I understand how to find moles, then divide by smallest number, but finding the actual mole ratio is a jumble. Thank You

CxHyPbz>>CO2 + H2O +Pb

get grams of H in H2O
2.274*(1/18). That mass came from CxHyPbz
so moles of Hy= gramsH*1/1=.126moles Hy
get grams C in CO2:
4.444(12/44)>>moles C=4.444(12/44)/44=.027 moles
grams Pb: 4.083-4.44(12/44)-2.274(1/18)=2.27 grams, or molesPb=2.27/207.2 =.0109 moles.
Mole ratio, divide by smallest (.0126)
C2 H10 Pb
check my math, please. It is a bit weird.

To find the empirical formula of a compound, you need to determine the mole ratio of its elements. Here are the steps to follow:

1. Convert the given masses of CO2 and H2O to moles:
- Moles of CO2 = mass of CO2 / molar mass of CO2
- Moles of H2O = mass of H2O / molar mass of H2O

The molar mass of CO2 is 44.01 g/mol, and the molar mass of H2O is 18.02 g/mol.

2. Determine the moles of each element (carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen) present in the products (CO2 and H2O). Since you have the moles of CO2 and H2O, you can use the balanced equation for the combustion reaction to find the moles of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen.
- In the balanced equation for the combustion of the compound, the molar ratio of CO2 to carbon is 1:1, so the moles of carbon are equal to the moles of CO2.
- In the balanced equation for the combustion of the compound, the molar ratio of H2O to hydrogen is 2:1, so the moles of hydrogen are twice the moles of H2O.
- For the oxygen, it can be calculated by subtracting the sum of carbon and hydrogen moles from the total moles of CO2 and H2O.

3. Calculate the mole ratio of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen in the compound by dividing each value by the smallest value obtained in step 2.
- For example, if the moles of carbon are 1, the moles of hydrogen are 2, and the moles of oxygen are 1, the empirical formula would be CH2O.

It's important to note that the empirical formula represents the simplest whole-number ratio of elements in a compound. Additional steps, such as determining the molar mass of the empirical formula and comparing it to the given molar mass, can help you find the molecular formula if necessary.

To find the empirical formula of a chemical compound, you need to determine the ratio of the elements present in the compound. In this case, we can follow the steps below to find the empirical formula for the compound containing lead (Pb), carbon (C), and hydrogen (H).

Step 1: Calculate the number of moles for each element.
- Determine the number of moles of carbon (C): Divide the mass of carbon dioxide (CO2) produced by the molar mass of carbon dioxide (44.01 g/mol).
Moles of C = 4.444 g CO2 / 44.01 g/mol CO2 = 0.1009 mol C
- Determine the number of moles of hydrogen (H): Divide the mass of water (H2O) produced by the molar mass of water (18.02 g/mol).
Moles of H = 2.274 g H2O / 18.02 g/mol H2O = 0.1263 mol H

Step 2: Calculate the number of moles of lead (Pb).
- Since we have the mass of the sample but not the mole ratio, we need to use the information provided to find the number of moles of lead by difference.
- Subtract the moles of carbon and hydrogen from the total moles present in the sample:
Moles of Pb = Total moles - Moles of C - Moles of H
Total moles = mass of sample / molar mass of sample
Total moles = 4.083 g / molar mass of sample (unknown)

Step 3: Determine the molar ratios of each element.
- After finding the number of moles of each element, divide each value by the smallest number of moles obtained in steps 1 and 2.
- The result will give you the mole ratios for carbon, hydrogen, and lead (if applicable). Round the values to the nearest whole number if necessary.

For example, let's assume the total moles obtained in Step 2 is 0.8000 mol:
Mole ratios: C:H:Pb = Moles of C/0.8000 : Moles of H/0.8000 : Moles of Pb/0.8000

By following these steps, you can determine the empirical formula of the compound containing lead, carbon, and hydrogen.