Ask Question
5 October, 15:16

Determine the molecular formula for the unknown if the molecular mass is 60.0 amu and the empirical formula is ch2o.

+2
Answers (1)
  1. 5 October, 15:27
    0
    The molecular formule for this unknow molecule is C2H4O2

    Explanation:

    The empirical formula is CH2O (or better said CnH2nOn)

    This means there are 3 elements in the formula of this molecule

    ⇒ Carbon (C) with a Molar mass of 12 g/mole

    ⇒ Hydrogen (H) with a Molar mass of 1 g/mole

    ⇒ Oxygen (O) with a Molar mass of 16 g/mole

    We can also notice that the amount of hydrogen should 2x the amount of carbon (also 2x the amount of oxygen).

    The mass of the empirical formule = 12g / mole + 2 * 1 g/mole + 16 g/mole = 30 g/mole

    To know what number is n in CnH2nOn we should divide the molecular mass by the empirical mass:

    60 g/mole / 30g/mole = 2

    this means n = 2

    and this will give a molecular formule of C2H4O2

    We can control this to calculate the molecular mass:

    2*12 + 4 * 1 + 2*16 = 24 + 4 + 32 = 60 g/mole

    The molecular formule for this unknow molecule is C2H4O2
Know the Answer?
Not Sure About the Answer?
Find an answer to your question 👍 “Determine the molecular formula for the unknown if the molecular mass is 60.0 amu and the empirical formula is ch2o. ...” in 📗 Chemistry if the answers seem to be not correct or there’s no answer. Try a smart search to find answers to similar questions.
Search for Other Answers