Steven analyzed a compound and found it to be 52.7% Potassium and 47.3% Chlorine. He determined the empirical formula to be
Assume 1000 grams.
Moles K: 527/39=13.5
Moles Cl: 147/35=13.5
divide by lowest number to get ratio:
Moles K: 1.0
Moles Cl: 1.0
empirical formula= KCl
Px Cly
total mass of a mol = 31 x + 35.5 y
fraction that is P = 31 x /(31x + 35.5y) = .527
fraction that is Cl = 35.5 y /(31x + 35.5y) = .473
=========================================
31 x = 16.337 x + 18.709 y ----> 14.663 x =18.709 y
35.5 y = 14.663x + 16.792 y---->14.663 x = 18.709y check
so y = 1.275 x
1275/1000 = 255/200 = 51/40 well about 5/4 maybe
P4Cl5
To determine the empirical formula, we need to find the ratio of atoms in the compound. We can assume we have 100g of the compound, which means we have 52.7g of Potassium and 47.3g of Chlorine.
Next, we need to convert these masses into moles. To do this, we divide the mass by the molar mass of each element.
The molar mass of Potassium (K) is approximately 39.1 g/mol.
The molar mass of Chlorine (Cl) is approximately 35.5 g/mol.
For Potassium:
Number of moles = mass / molar mass
Number of moles of Potassium = 52.7g / 39.1 g/mol ≈ 1.35 mol
For Chlorine:
Number of moles = mass / molar mass
Number of moles of Chlorine = 47.3g / 35.5 g/mol ≈ 1.33 mol
Now we need to find the ratio of atoms by dividing the number of moles by the smaller number of moles.
Dividing both the moles of Potassium and Chlorine by 1.33 (the smaller number of moles), we get:
Potassium: 1.35 mol / 1.33 mol ≈ 1.01
Chlorine: 1.33 mol / 1.33 mol = 1
Since we cannot have fractioned subscripts in empirical formulas, we multiply both ratios by 3 (the smallest whole number multiple that gives whole numbers).
Potassium: 1.01 * 3 ≈ 3
Chlorine: 1 * 3 = 3
Therefore, the empirical formula of the compound is K3Cl3.
To determine the empirical formula of the compound, we need to find the ratio of the elements present. We'll start by assuming we have 100 grams of the compound.
Since Steven found the compound to be 52.7% potassium, we can determine the amount of potassium present as follows:
(52.7% / 100%) * 100g = 52.7g
Similarly, for chlorine:
(47.3% / 100%) * 100g = 47.3g
Next, we need to convert these amounts into moles by dividing them by the respective molar masses.
The molar mass of potassium (K) is 39.1 g/mol, and the molar mass of chlorine (Cl) is 35.45 g/mol.
For potassium:
52.7g / 39.1g/mol ≈ 1.35 mol
For chlorine:
47.3g / 35.45g/mol ≈ 1.33 mol
Now, we need to find the ratio of these elements in the compound. We divide the number of moles of each element by the smaller value to get the simplest ratio.
Dividing both values by 1.33 (the smaller value) gives us approximately:
Potassium: 1.35 mol / 1.33 mol ≈ 1
Chlorine: 1.33 mol / 1.33 mol ≈ 1
Since the ratio is approximately 1:1, the empirical formula is KCl, which represents one potassium atom for every one chlorine atom.