This was reposted because the original was posted on another student's thread.
An oxide of carbon contains 27% carbon. What is its empirical formula?
I don’t understand this question can you please help
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posted by Raida
today at 5:03pm
Answer ID 1814044
Well, oxide of carbon means it has the formula CxOy
assume 1000 grams
270 grams C, 730g O
moles C= 270/12=22.5
moles O= 730/16=46.6
divide both numbers of moles by the lowest, so the ratio is CO2
atomic mass of carbon = 12
atomic mass of oxygen = 16
12 * moles of carbon / (12 * moles of carbon + 16 * moles O) = 0.27
12 c/(12 c + 16 o) = 0.27
12 c = 3.24 c + 4.32 o
4.32 o = 8.76 c
o/c = 2.03
looks like about 2 O for each C
How about CO2 ?
It's a carbon oxide, so carbon and oxygen only
Assume 27% equals 27g of carbon and 100-27=73, is oxygen.
27g*(1 mole/12.01g)=2.24 moles
73g*(1 mole/16.00g)=4.56 moles
4.56/2.24= around 2
So, C==> 1 and O ==> 2
CO2
Three different ways to look at the problem but all three are correct...........
Dude come on, don't impersonate Ms. Sue. You forgot the period after "Ms" so you are obviously a fake.
To find the empirical formula of a compound, you need to determine the ratio of different elements present in the compound. In this case, we are given that the oxide of carbon contains 27% carbon.
Here's how you can determine the empirical formula:
1. Assume you have 100 grams of the compound. This assumption makes it easier to work with percentages.
2. Since the compound contains 27% carbon, this means that you have 27 grams of carbon in the compound.
3. Next, consider the remaining mass (100 grams - 27 grams of carbon) which is 73 grams. This mass represents the mass of the oxygen in the compound.
4. Now, we need to convert the masses of carbon and oxygen into moles. To do this, we divide the masses by their respective molar masses.
- The molar mass of carbon (C) is approximately 12 g/mol.
- The molar mass of oxygen (O) is approximately 16 g/mol.
For carbon: 27 g C ÷ 12 g/mol = 2.25 mol C
For oxygen: 73 g O ÷ 16 g/mol = 4.56 mol O
5. To determine the simplest whole number ratio of carbon to oxygen, we need to divide the moles of each element by the smallest number of moles.
Carbon: 2.25 mol C ÷ 2.25 mol C = 1 mol C
Oxygen: 4.56 mol O ÷ 2.25 mol C = 2.03 mol O (approximately)
Since we need whole numbers, we round 2.03 to the nearest whole number, which is 2.
6. Finally, we write the empirical formula using the whole number ratio obtained in the previous step. The empirical formula of the oxide of carbon is CO2.
So, the empirical formula of the oxide of carbon is CO2.