To determine the chemical formula of the unknown compound \( \text{Al}_2\text{Cl}_x \), we need to figure out the value of \( x \).
We are given:
- 4.4 mol of chlorine (Cl)
- 1.46 mol of aluminum (Al)
Since the formula involves \( \text{Al}_2 \), we consider the moles of aluminum in the sample provided.
Given:
1.46 mol of Al corresponds to the whole molecule, which means it should be divided by 2, as one formula unit of \( \text{Al}_2\text{Cl}_x \) contains 2 moles of Al.
So, the number of formula units is:
\[ \text{Number of formula units} = \frac{1.46 \text{ mol Al}}{2} \approx 0.73 \text{ formula units} \]
Now, we consider the chlorine:
4.4 mol of Cl is associated with 0.73 formula units.
Therefore, the number of chlorine atoms per formula unit (\( x \)) is given by:
\[ x = \frac{4.4 \text{ mol Cl}}{0.73 \text{ formula units}} \approx 6 \]
Thus, the chemical formula for the compound is:
\[ \text{Al}_2\text{Cl}_6 \]
An unknown compound has the following chemical formula
Al_2Cl_x
Where x stands for a whole number
Measurements also show that a certain sample of the unknown compound contains 4.4 mol of chlorine and 1.46 mol of aluminum.
Write the complete chemical formula for the unknown compound.
1 answer