A compound which contains only carbon, hydrogen, and sulfur is burned in oxygen under such conditions that the individual volumes of the reactants and products can be measured at the same temperature and pressure. it is found that 3 volumes of the compound react with oxygen to yield 3 volumes of carbon dioxide, 3 volumes of sulfur dioxide, and 6 volumes of water vapor. What is the formula of the compound? Is this an empirical or a molecular formula?
Assuming all of the carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and sulfur come from the reactants given and n-volumes means 'molar' volumes, then ...
CₓHᵥSₑ + 9O₂ => 3CO₂ + 6H₂O + 3SO₂
=> C₃H₁₂S₃ + 9O₂ => 3CO₂ + 6H₂O + 3SO₂
=> Empirical Formula => CH₄S
To determine the formula of the compound, we need to analyze the volumes of the reactants and products.
Given:
- 3 volumes of the compound react with oxygen to yield 3 volumes of carbon dioxide, 3 volumes of sulfur dioxide, and 6 volumes of water vapor.
Let's analyze the volume ratios to determine the empirical formula of the compound:
For carbon dioxide: 3 volumes of carbon dioxide are produced from 3 volumes of the compound.
For sulfur dioxide: 3 volumes of sulfur dioxide are produced from 3 volumes of the compound.
For water vapor: 6 volumes of water vapor are produced from 3 volumes of the compound.
From these volume ratios, we can deduce that the ratio of carbon, sulfur, and hydrogen in the compound is 1:1:2 (which is the simplest ratio).
Now, let's analyze the elements in the compound:
Carbon: The compound produces carbon dioxide (CO2). Each CO2 molecule contains 1 carbon atom. Therefore, in the compound, there is 1 carbon atom.
Sulfur: The compound produces sulfur dioxide (SO2). Each SO2 molecule contains 1 sulfur atom. Therefore, in the compound, there is 1 sulfur atom.
Hydrogen: The compound produces water vapor (H2O). Each H2O molecule contains 2 hydrogen atoms. Therefore, in the compound, there are 2 hydrogen atoms.
Putting it all together, we have 1 carbon atom, 1 sulfur atom, and 2 hydrogen atoms in the compound. The empirical formula of the compound is CH2S.
Now, let's determine if this is an empirical or a molecular formula:
The empirical formula represents the simplest, most reduced ratio of atoms in a compound. In this case, CH2S is the simplest ratio based on the volume analysis. However, to determine if it's also the molecular formula, we would need additional information about the molar masses or mass percentages of the elements in the compound.
Without that additional information, we can only conclude that CH2S is the empirical formula of the compound based on the given volume ratios.
3CxHySz + 9O2 ==> 3CO2 + 3SO2 + 6H2O OR
1CxySz + 9/2 O2 ==> 1 CO2 + 1SO2 + 2H2O
CH2S emirical formula.