Test 1 Question 7

[Jacy Black 1C]

Hello, I was wondering if someone could help explain how to correctly answer the following question from the first test:

"Determine the empirical formula for an organic compound that, when burned in the presence of oxygen, formed 8.45g of Carbon Dioxide and 1.73g of Water. What is the mass percentage of carbon and hydrogen in this sample?"

I am assuming that the sample must only consist of Carbons and Hydrogens, but I didn't know where to begin. Rather than having been given the percent mass, we are given the mass of the products, which confused me greatly. And and all help would be greatly appreciated!

[Enzo_1I]

Since you're trying to find the percent yield for this sample, you need to use (actual yield/ theoretical yield ) x 100%.
The problem gives you the actual yield (7.84 grams), so you need to find the theoretical yield which should be around 8.11 grams.
Then you can just plug in those number into the percentage yield formula.

[Emely Reyna 1F]

To find the empirical formula when you are given grams rather than percent mass you can start of by converting the grams into moles while also taking into account the ratio. For example take the 8.45 g of CO2 and divide by the molar mass to get mols of CO2 then use the ratio of 1 mol of C per 1 mol of CO2 to find the mols of C in CO2.

[fara valdez]

Just use conversions as you would grams to moles, except for the whole compound. Once youve reached that step in your conversion, then you isolate carbon in the CO2 conversion and Hydrogen in H2O.