Fundamentals M. 19

[Jeffrey Doeve 2I]

A stimulant in coffee and tea is caffeine, a substance of molar mass 194 g? When 0.376 g of caffeine was burned, 0.682 g of carbon dioxide, 0.174 g of water, and 0.110 g of nitrogen
were formed. Determine the empirical and molecular formulas of caffeine, and write the equation for its combustion.

So for this problem, I ended up solving it correctly. But I was wondering where the question mentions nitrogen, does it mean N or N2? I know nitrogen naturally exists as N2(nitrogen gas), but I wanted to make sure as it did not specify nitrogen gas. So if you solve by treating nitrogen as N or N2, you get the same number of mol N. Im starting to lean toward treating it as N2 as I finish writing out this question(0.110g * (1 mol/28.02g) * (2 mol N/1 mol N2))

[KatarinaReid_3H]

Yes, I assumed Nitrogen to be N2 gas as a product because Nitrogen is a diatomic element, meaning in nature it will always exist as N2.

[Melody Haratian 2J]

^^ I also used N2 gas while doing my calculations. N2 is likely the product since it is diatomic and the form typically found in nature.

[Natallie K 3B]

I used nitrogen as N2 because nitrogen gas is found in nature in its diatomic form.

[Crystal Pan 2G]

Nitrogen gas is a diatomic element, along with 6 other elements that are classified as Halogens.

[Brian Bui 3H]

Not completely relevant to this problem, but a way I learned in the past to remember the 7 diatomic elements is the phrase "high on ficklebur", which corresponds to the elements H, I, O, N, F, Cl, Br (if you read it out in that order, it kind of sounds like it)!

[Sofia Lombardo 2C]

Not completely relevant to this problem, but a way I learned in the past to remember the 7 diatomic elements is the phrase "high on ficklebur", which corresponds to the elements H, I, O, N, F, Cl, Br (if you read it out in that order, it kind of sounds like it)!

I have also heard of BrINClHOF (sounds like "brinklehoff") - Br, I, N, Cl, H, O, F