How to find the empirical formula for C5H10O5?

2 Answers
anor277
Dec 14, 2017

The empirical formula is the simplest WHOLE number defining constituent atoms in a species....

Explanation:

The molecular formula is always a whole number multiple of the empirical formula....

Here we gots #C_5H_10O_5#, whatever this is, some sugar....

The #"empirical formula"-=CH_2O#....and clearly the molecular formula is a whole number multiple....#C_5H_10O_5-=(CH_2O)_5#

SupernovaT
Dec 14, 2017

#CH_2O#

Explanation:

An empirical formula is simply the simplest ratio of atoms present in a molecule. It is not the actual number of atoms in a molecule - that is given by a molecules molecular formula .

In your example, you have provided the molecular formula #C_5H_10O_5#. To convert this into an empirical formula, we need to find the simplest ratio of each type of atom to another.

To do this, we find the lowest common factor in the ratio.

In this case, if we divide the given quantities of each atom by 5 (the lowest quantity of any atom provided), we get;

#C_1H_2O_1# this would be written as #CH_2O#

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