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4.4: Chemical Equations and Quantitative Analysis

  • Page ID
    166321
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     Combustion Analysis

    Exercise \(\PageIndex{1}\)

    The principal component of mothballs is naphthalene, a compound with a molecular mass of about 130 amu, containing only carbon and hydrogen. A 3.000-mg sample of naphthalene burns to give 10.3 mg of CO2. Determine its empirical and molecular formulas.

    Answer
    1. First find mass of Carbon and Hydrogen

    \(m_{c}=\left ( \frac{1 g}{1000 mg} \right )\left ( \frac{1 mol CO_{2}}{44.01 g CO_{2}} \right )\left ( \frac{1 mol C}{1 mol CO_{2}} \right )\left ( \frac{12.01 g C}{1 molC} \right )\left ( \frac{1000 mg}{1 g} \right )=2.811 mg C\)
     

    \(m_{H}=\left ( 3.000 mg - 2.811 mg \right )=0.189 mg H\)

    1. Second find the moles of Carbon and Hydrogen.

    \(n_{1}=\frac{2.811*10^{-3}g}{12.01g*mol^{-1}}=2.34*10^{-4}mol)

    \(n_{2}=\frac{0.189*10^{-3}g}{1.008g*mol^{-1}}=1.875*10^{-4}mol\)

    1. Now solve for Empirical Formula

    \(C = \frac{2.34*10^{-4}mol}{1.875*10^{-4}mol}=1.2492\)

    \(H = \frac{1.875*10^{-4}mol}{1.875*10^{-4}mol}=1\)

    Multiply each by 4 to get the smallest integer. (1.2492 * 4 = 4.9968 or 5). C5H4 

    1. Lastly solve for the molecular formula using empirical formula

    \(M_{1}=5(M_{C})+4(M_{H})\) 

    \(M_{1}=5(12.01 g*mol^{-1})+4(1.008 g*mol^{-1})=64.085 amu\)

    \(n_{f}=\frac{130 amu}{64.085 amu}=2\)

    Now multiply the empirical formula by 2 to get the molecular formula. C10H8.

     

    Exercise \(\PageIndex{2}\)

    Mesitylene is a liquid hydrocarbon. Burning 0.115 g of the compound in oxygen gives 0.379 g of CO2 and 0.1035 g of H2O. What is the empirical formula of mesitylene?

    Answer

    C3H4

    Exercise \(\PageIndex{3}\)

    A 0.025-g sample of a compound composed of boron and hydrogen, with a molecular mass of ~28 amu, burns spontaneously when exposed to air, producing 0.063 g of B2O3. What are the empirical and molecular formulas of the compound.

    Answer

    Empirical Formula: BH3

    Molecular Formula: B2H6

     

     


    4.4: Chemical Equations and Quantitative Analysis is shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by LibreTexts.

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