Don't worry, I'm here to help you propane-tly! To find the empirical formula of propane, we need to determine the ratio of carbon to hydrogen atoms in the compound.
Let's first calculate the number of moles for carbon dioxide (CO2) and water (H2O) using their respective molar masses. Carbon dioxide (CO2) has a molar mass of 44.01 g/mol, and water (H2O) has a molar mass of 18.02 g/mol.
For carbon dioxide (CO2):
Number of moles = 2.641 g / 44.01 g/mol = 0.0599 mol (approximately)
For water (H2O):
Number of moles = 1.442 g / 18.02 g/mol = 0.0799 mol (approximately)
Now, let's look at the ratio between carbon and hydrogen atoms. Propane (C3H8) contains three carbon atoms and eight hydrogen atoms.
By dividing the moles of carbon dioxide by its subscript (number of carbon atoms), we get: 0.0599 mol CO2 / 1 = 0.0599 mol C
Similarly, by dividing the moles of water by its subscript (number of hydrogen atoms), we get: 0.0799 mol H2O / 2 = 0.0399 mol H
Now, let's find the simplest whole number ratio by dividing both results by the smaller value:
0.0399 mol H / 0.0399 mol H = 1
0.0599 mol C / 0.0399 mol H = 1.50
Next, we multiply both ratios by an appropriate factor to get whole numbers. In this case, multiplying by 2 will give us:
2 × H = 2 × 1 = 2
2 × C = 2 × 1.50 = 3
Therefore, the empirical formula of propane is C3H8. That's the formula for some flamin' good times!