Answer to Question #308864 in Organic Chemistry for Hon

Question

An 8.00 mg sample of an organic compound was

subjected to quantitative combustion to give 15.33 mg

of carbon dioxide and 9.36 mg of water. The

molecular weight was found to be 46. Calculate the %

composition, empirical and molecular formula of the

organic compound.

Answer 1

Let's say we had a 100 gram sample of this compound. The sample would therefore contain 73.9 grams of mercury and 26.1 grams of chlorine. How many moles of each atom do the individual masses represent?

For Mercury:

(73.9g)×(1mol200.59g)=0.368moles

For Chlorine:

(26.1g)×(1mol35.45g)=0.736mol

What is the molar ratio