An oxyhydrocarbon produced in a chemical reaction was determined to have a molecular mass of 120.20 g/mol.Which of the following is a possible empirical formula for this compound? A)CH₄O B)C₂H₆O C)C₃H₈O D)C₃H₈O₂ E)C₄H₁₀O₂

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

To determine the empirical formula, we need to find the simplest whole-number ratio for the atoms in the compound. To do this, we need to divide the molecular mass by the empirical formula mass. The empirical formula mass can be determined by summing the atomic masses in a possible empirical formula.

Option C gives us a total of 120.20 g/mol, which matches the given molecular mass. Therefore, we can use option C as the empirical formula.

Option A has a total atomic mass of only 39.1 g/mol, which is way lower than the given molecular mass of 120.20 g/mol.

Option B has a total atomic mass of 220.28 g/mol, which is higher than the given molecular mass of 120.20 g/mol.

Option D has a total atomic mass of 332.48 g/mol, which is also higher than the given molecular mass of 120.20 g/mol.

Option E has a total atomic mass of 414.65 g/mol, which is much higher than the given molecular mass of 120.20 g/mol.

An Oxyhydrocarbon Produced in a Chemical Reaction Was Determined to Have