A sample of anhydrous copper2 sulphate on analysis was found to contain 6.4grams of copper,3.2grams sulphur and 6.4grams oxygen determine it's empirical formula
To find the empirical formula, we need to determine the ratio of the number of atoms of each element in the compound.
1. Convert the mass of each element to moles:
- Copper (Cu): 6.4g / 63.55 g/mol = 0.1 mol
- Sulphur (S): 3.2g / 32.06 g/mol = 0.1 mol
- Oxygen (O): 6.4g / 16.00 g/mol = 0.4 mol
2. Find the ratio of the elements by dividing each mole value by the smallest mole value:
- Cu: 0.1 mol / 0.1 mol = 1
- S: 0.1 mol / 0.1 mol = 1
- O: 0.4 mol / 0.1 mol = 4
The empirical formula of the compound is therefore CuSO4