How do you find the empirical formula of a compound?

To find the empirical formula of a compound, the key step is determining the ratio of moles of each element present in the compound. The empirical formula represents the simplest whole-number ratio of the atoms of each element in that compound. This process typically involves the following steps:

1. Determine the mass of each element present: You start with a sample of the compound and find out how much each element contributes to the total mass.

2. Convert mass to moles: Using the molar mass of each element, you convert the masses into moles. This involves dividing the mass of each element by its respective atomic weight.

3. Find the mole ratio: Once you have the number of moles for each element, you divide each of these values by the smallest number of moles calculated. This will give you the simplest whole-number ratio of the elements.

4. Write the empirical formula: Finally, you use these ratios to write the empirical formula, which expresses the least amount of each element in the compound in the form of subscripts.

This method is central to determining the empirical formula, which provides insight into the composition of the compound without conveying the actual number of atoms present as the molecular formula does. The other options do not