Chemistry 1
AACHE1A
Faculty : Applied and Computer Sciences
Department: Biotechnology and Chemistry
Presented by: Mr W.Bout
Percent composition and empirical formulas
(P.119)
Percent composition of a compound is expressed by identifying the elements present
and giving the mass percent of each.
Empirical formula, a chemical formula showing the ratio of elements in a compound rather than the
total number of atoms.
Molecular formula, tells the actual numbers of atoms in a molecule.
Percent
composition
• of a compound is expressed by identifying the elements present and giving the mass
percent of each.
• Each element (X) in a compound constitutes its own particular portion of the compound’s mass.
• For an individual molecule (or formula unit), we use the molecular (or formula) mass and chemical formula to
find the mass percent of any element X in the compound:
• Since the formula also tells the number of moles of each element in the compound, we use the molar mass to find
the mass percent of each element on a mole basis:
• As always, the individual mass percents of the elements in the compound must add up to 100% (within rounding).
• The mass fraction of element X in a compound is used to find the mass of X in any amount of the compound.
Percent
composition
Determining the formula of an unknown
• compound
Percent composition, we knew the formula and used it to find the mass percent (or mass fraction) of an element
in a compound and the mass of the element in a given mass of the compound.
• In this section, we do the reverse: use the masses of elements in a compound to find its formula.
• We’ll present the mass data in several ways and then look briefly at molecular structures.
Empirical formula, a chemical formula showing the ratio of elements in a compound rather than the
total number of atoms.
Determining the formula of an unknown
compound
• This procedure yields the empirical formula, the simplest whole-number ration of moles of each element in the
compound.
Let’s see how to obtain the subscripts from the moles each elements:
Analysis of an unknown compound shows that the sample contains 0,21 mol of Zinc, 0,14 mol of phosphorus, and
0,56 mol oxygen.
1. Divide each subscript by the smallest subscript: This step alone often gives
integer subscripts.
2. If any of the subscripts is still not an integer, multiply through by the smallest integer that will turn all subscripts
into integers. Here, we multiply by 2, the smallest integer that will make 1.5 (the subscript for Zn) into an integer:
Notice that the relative number of moles has not changed because we multiplied all the subscripts by 2.
Empirical Formulas
cont..
Always check that the subscripts are the smallest set of integers with the same ratio as the original numbers of moles;
that is, 3/2/8 is in the same ratio as 0.21/0.14/0.56. A more conventional way to write this formula is Zn 3(PO4)2; the
compound is zinc phosphate, a dental cement.
Molecular
Formulas.
• If we know the molar mass of a compound, we can use the empirical formula to obtain the molecular formula, the
actual number of moles of each element in 1 mol of compound.
• In some cases, such as water (H2O), ammonia (NH3), and methane (CH4), the empirical and molecular formulas are
identical, but in many others the molecular formula is a whole-number multiple of the empirical formula.
Hydrogen peroxide, for example, has the empirical formula HO and the molecular formula H 2O2.
Dividing the molar mass of H2O2 (34.02 g/mol) by the empirical formula mass (17.01 g/mol) gives the whole-number
multiple:
Molecular Formulas
cont..
• Instead of giving compositional data in terms of masses of each element, analytical laboratories provide it as mass
percents. From this, we determine the empirical formula by:
1) assuming 100.0 g of compound, which allows us to express mass percent directly as mass,
2) converting the mass to number of moles, and
3) constructing the empirical formula. With the molar mass, we can also find the whole-number multiple and then
the molecular formula.
Empirical formula = C1H2O1
Determining the molecular
formula = C3H6O3
Molecular Formulas
cont..
Combustion Analysis of Organic
Compounds
• Still another type of compositional data is obtained through combustion analysis, a method used to measure the
amounts of carbon and hydrogen in a combustible organic compound.
• The unknown compound is burned in pure O2 in an apparatus that consists of a combustion furnace and
chambers containing compounds that absorb either H2O or CO2 (Figure; below).
• All the H in the unknown is converted to H2O, which is absorbed in the first chamber, and all the C is converted to
CO2, which is absorbed in the second.
• By weighing the absorbers before and after combustion, we find the masses of CO2 and H2O and use them to
calculate the masses of C and H in the compound, from which we find the empirical formula.
Combustion Analysis of Organic Compounds
•
cont.
As you’ve seen, many organic compounds also contain oxygen, nitrogen, or a halogen.
• As long as the third element doesn’t interfere with the absorption of CO2 and H2O, we calculate its mass by
subtracting the masses of C and H from the original mass of the compound.
Combustion Analysis of Organic Compounds
cont.
• From the masses of elements in an unknown compound, the relative amounts (in moles) are found
and the empirical formula determined.
• If the molar mass is known, the molecular formula can also be determined.
• Methods such as combustion analysis provide data on the masses of elements in a compound, which
are used to obtain the formula.
• Because atoms can bond in different arrangements, more than one compound may have the same
molecular formula (constitutional isomers).
Writing and Balancing Chemical
Equations.
