Question

How can you calculate an empirical formula?

Answer 1

1. Change % to grams.
2. change grams to moles
3. change moles to a mole ratio, and divide by smallest mol quantity to get whole numbers.
4. write as a formula.

Answer 2

% => grams => moles => ratio => normalize => adjust => empirical ratio!

Explanation:

1) Given data in % per hundred wt drop the % and tag with grams.

2) Convert grams to moles (divide by formula wt)

3) set ratio of moles

4) normalize => divide by smaller mole value

5) adjust => if normalized values are fractions of 0.25 or 0.75 then multiply by 4; if normalized values are fractions of 0.50 then multiply by 2

6) adjusted ratio => empirical ratio => empirical formuls

The following is an example: