What is the empirical formula of ethyl butyrate, C6H12O2, a compound found in many fruits?
C3H6O
review empirical formula
To find the empirical formula of ethyl butyrate (C6H12O2), we need to determine the simplest whole-number ratio of the elements present in the compound.
Step 1: Determine the number of moles of each element.
- Carbon (C): 6
- Hydrogen (H): 12
- Oxygen (O): 2
Step 2: Divide each element's mole count by the smallest mole count.
- Carbon: 6 / 6 = 1
- Hydrogen: 12 / 6 = 2
- Oxygen: 2 / 6 ≈ 0.33
Step 3: Multiply each element's ratio by an integer to obtain whole numbers.
- Carbon: 1 x 3 = 3
- Hydrogen: 2 x 3 = 6
- Oxygen: 0.33 x 3 ≈ 1 (rounded)
The empirical formula of ethyl butyrate is C3H6O.
To determine the empirical formula of ethyl butyrate, we need to find the simplest whole number ratio of the elements in the compound. The molecular formula, C6H12O2, tells us the actual number of atoms in each element in one molecule of ethyl butyrate.
First, let's start by finding the ratio of carbon to hydrogen. The molecular formula contains 6 carbon atoms and 12 hydrogen atoms. We can simplify this ratio by dividing both numbers by their greatest common divisor, which is 6. This gives us a ratio of 1:2, meaning the empirical formula should have a ratio of carbon to hydrogen of 1:2.
Next, let's find the ratio of carbon to oxygen. The molecular formula contains 6 carbon atoms and 2 oxygen atoms. Again, we can simplify this ratio by dividing both numbers by their greatest common divisor, which is 2. This gives us a ratio of 3:1, meaning the empirical formula should have a ratio of carbon to oxygen of 3:1.
Therefore, the empirical formula of ethyl butyrate is C3H6O.