Determination of the molecular formula by the percentage of elements and the molar mass
Exercise 1
A substance has a molar mass of $M=46\frac{g}{mol}$. It contains $52.2\% \; C$. $34.8\% \; O$ and $13.0\% \; H$.
Find its molecular formula.
One mole of the substance contains:
$0.522\cdot 46=24.0\; g \; C$ =
$\frac{24.0}{12.0}= 2\; mol C$
$0.348\cdot 46=16.0\; g \; O$ =
$\frac{16.0}{16.0} = 1\; mol O$
$0.130\cdot 46=6.0\; g \; H$ =
$\frac{6.0}{1.0} = 6\; mol H$
Molecular formula: $C_2H_6O$