Question

In an experiment, it was found that 11.775 g of Sn combined with 3.180 g of O. Write the empirical formula for the compound that is formed.

Answer 1

Answer: The empirical formula for the given compound is
`SnO_2`

Step-by-step explanation:

Mass of Sn = 11.775 g

Mass of O = 3.180 g

To formulate the empirical formula, we need to follow some steps:

Step 1: Converting the given masses into moles.

Moles of Sn =
`\frac{\text{Given mass of Sn}}{\text{Molar mass of Sn}}=(11.775g)/(118.7g/mole)=0.0992moles`

Moles of O =
`\frac{\text{Given mass of O}}{\text{Molar mass of O}}=(3.180g)/(16g/mole)=0.1986moles`

Step 2: Calculating the mole ratio of the given elements.

For the mole ratio, we divide each value of the moles by the smallest number of moles calculated which is 0.0992 moles.

For Sn =
`(0.0992)/(0.0992)=1`

For O =
`(0.1986)/(0.0992)=2.00\approx 2`

Step 3: Taking the mole ratio as their subscripts.

The ratio of Sn : O = 1 : 2

Hence, the empirical formula for the given compound is
`SnO_2`