Question
What is the empirical formula for ethyl butyrate?
Answers
GPT-4o mini
To find the empirical formula for ethyl butyrate, we first need to know its molecular formula. Ethyl butyrate has the molecular formula \( C_5H_{10}O_2 \), which consists of:
- 5 Carbon (C) atoms
- 10 Hydrogen (H) atoms
- 2 Oxygen (O) atoms
The empirical formula is the simplest whole-number ratio of the elements in a compound.
To simplify \( C_5H_{10}O_2 \):
1. Count the number of atoms of each element:
- C: 5
- H: 10
- O: 2
2. Determine the greatest common divisor (GCD) of the numbers 5, 10, and 2, which is 1.
3. Divide each component by the GCD:
- C: \( \frac{5}{1} = 5 \)
- H: \( \frac{10}{1} = 10 \)
- O: \( \frac{2}{1} = 2 \)
Since the ratio is already in the simplest form, the empirical formula for ethyl butyrate is:
\[
C_5H_{10}O_2
\]
In this case, the empirical formula is the same as the molecular formula, which is \( C_5H_{10}O_2 \).
- 5 Carbon (C) atoms
- 10 Hydrogen (H) atoms
- 2 Oxygen (O) atoms
The empirical formula is the simplest whole-number ratio of the elements in a compound.
To simplify \( C_5H_{10}O_2 \):
1. Count the number of atoms of each element:
- C: 5
- H: 10
- O: 2
2. Determine the greatest common divisor (GCD) of the numbers 5, 10, and 2, which is 1.
3. Divide each component by the GCD:
- C: \( \frac{5}{1} = 5 \)
- H: \( \frac{10}{1} = 10 \)
- O: \( \frac{2}{1} = 2 \)
Since the ratio is already in the simplest form, the empirical formula for ethyl butyrate is:
\[
C_5H_{10}O_2
\]
In this case, the empirical formula is the same as the molecular formula, which is \( C_5H_{10}O_2 \).