Putrescine,a foul-smelling compound produced by decaying tissue,has the empirical formula C₂H₆N,and its molecular mass is found to be between 87 and 90 amu.How many empirical units are in the actual molecular formula?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The empirical formula mass of C2H6N is 58 amu (2*12 for C + 6*1 for H + 14 for N). The molecular mass is between 87 and 90 amu, which is approximately 2 times the empirical formula mass (58*2 = 116, which is close to the given range). Therefore, there are 2 empirical units in the molecular formula.

Putrescine,a Foul-Smelling Compound Produced by Decaying Tissue,has the Empirical Formula