Empirical formula [ENDORSED]

[Sunjum Singh 1I]

When solving for Empirical Formula and you have moles such as 2.5 or 2.7, how do you know which number is the best to multiply each by to get whole numbers?

[Marina Souliman 1K]

I've only been taught to make educated guesses about what to multiply to get a whole number. For example, with 2.7 I focus on the .7 and try to think of multiples of 7 that end in 0 so that I'd manage to get a whole number. For 2.7, I've found the smallest number I could use to multiply is 10.

For 2.5, I know the smallest multiple of 5 that would lead to a number ending in 0 is 10. So, I know to multiply it by 2.

[Alexandra Wade 1L]

I agree. I also just use educated guesses. Once you find what number works best, you will remember it for next time so it just becomes second nature.

[Chem_Mod]

Don't worry so much about what number is best to multiply because it should be fairly clear on the assessments :)