Assuming the relative molecular mass of a compound with empirical formula C2H4NO is 116. What is the molecular formula

Answer 1

To find the molecular formula, we need to first calculate the empirical formula's mass.

Empirical formula mass = (2 x atomic mass of C) + (4 x atomic mass of H) + (atomic mass of N) + (atomic mass of O)

Empirical formula mass = (2 x 12.01) + (4 x 1.01) + 14.01 + 16.00 = 42.03 g/mol

Now, we can use the given relative molecular mass to determine the molecular formula:

Relative molecular mass (M) = n x empirical formula mass

where n is the number of empirical formula units in the molecular formula.

n = M / empirical formula mass = 116 / 42.03 = 2.76

Since we cannot have a fraction of a molecule, we round n to the nearest whole number. Therefore, the molecular formula is:

Molecular formula = n x empirical formula

Molecular formula = 3 x C2H4NO

Molecular formula = C6H12N2O3