Question

A sample of an alcohol is tested and found to contain 52% carbon, 35% oxygen, and 13% hydrogen by mass. Tests indicate that the molecular weight of the molecule is between 30 and 80. What is the molecular formula of the alcohol?
After I did everything, I got the empirical formula to be C2 H5.8 O?
You should have obtained C2H6O (my numbers were 1.98 for C which rounds to 2, 5.94 for H which rounds to 6, and O.
empirical formula mass is 46
46 is between 30 and 80. Twice that (C2H6O)2 would have a molar mass of 46*2 = 92 and that's out of the range. So the empirical and molecular formulae are the same.

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