Topics:

[Link], Molecules, and the Mole

2. Chemical Analysis: Determining Compound Formulas

NCHE 171

Dr. N.H. SEHERI

 Outline

• 2-6 Atoms, Molecules, and the Mole

• 2-7 Chemical Analysis: Determining
Compound Formulas
• 2-8 Instrumental Analysis: Determining
Compound Formulas
 OBJECTIVES

At the end of the lesson students must be able to;

Understand Understand the mole concept and molar mass and their application

Use Use the molar mass of an element and Avogadro’s number in calculations
Calculate the molar mass of a compound from its formula and a table of
Calculate atomic weights
Calculate the amount (=number of moles) of a compound represented by
Calculate a given mass, and vice versa
Use Avogadro’s number to calculate the number of atoms or ions in a
Use compound
Express Express the composition of a compound in terms of percent composition
Determine the empirical and molecular formula of a compound using percent
Determine composition or other experimental data
 Mole
• The counting unit for atoms, molecules, ions,
etc.
• 1 mole of things = 6.02 x 1023 things
• The mole is the unit we use to COUNT
“things”
• It’s a really BIG number, so we use it to count
really SMALL “things”…atoms, molecules…
Particles and the Mole
“Avogadro’s Number”
Named after Amedeo Avogadro
1776-1856

6.0221415  1023

There is Avogadro’s number of particles in a

mole of any substance.
Counting Atoms: The Mole
Chemistry is a quantitative
science—we need a
“counting unit” the:

MOLE
1 mole is the amount of
substance that contains as
many particles (atoms,
molecules) as there are in 518 g of Pb, 2.50 mol
12.0 g of 12C.
One-Mole Amounts
Molecular mass vs. Molar mass
• Molecular mass
• mass of 1 molecule in amu
• Molar mass
• mass of 1 mole in grams
Equations
N = nNA
Where N = represent six types of particles present in matter, i.e. atoms,
molecules, ions, and three subatomic particles
determine number of moles
n = m =mass, and Mr
rearranging above equation to determine mass
=nx

14/05/2025
Lecture Example How many magnesium atoms are there in 150.0 g of
magnesium?

Solution: Use the molar mass of Mg from the periodic table

and Avogadro's number.

1 mol Mg 6.022 x 1023 Mg atoms

150.0 g Mg  
24.305 g Mg 1 mol Mg

(4 sig figs) big number as expected!

Lecture Example How many grams of chromium are there in
25.1g of chromium (III) acetate?

Cr(C2H3O2)3 = 229.13 g/mol

1 mol Cr(C2 H 3O 2 )3
25.1g Cr(C2 H 3O 2 )3 
229.13g Cr(C2 H 3O 2 )3
1 mol Cr 52.00g Cr
  
1 mol Cr(C 2H 3O 2 )3 1mol Cr

5.70 g Cr 3 sf
Percentage composition
• Analysis used to characterize unknown
compounds.
• Percent composition data can be used to calculate an
empirical formula
• Calculate the mass percent (weight percent) of
each element in a compound.
• Strategy
atoms of an element atomic weight  x100%
formula weight of compound 
What is the % Composition of Ca(OH)2?
atoms of an element atomic wei ght  x100%
formula weight of compound 
FW = 74.1 g

% Ca 
atoms of an element atomic weight 
x100%
formula weight of compound
% Ca 
140.0 
x100% ?
74.1
% Ca 
140.0 
x100% 54.0%
74.1
What is the % composition of Ca(OH)2?

atoms of an element atomic wei ght  x100%

formula weight of compound 
FW = 74.1 g
%O
atoms of O atomic wei ght  x100%
formula weight of Ca(OH)2 

%O
216.0  x100% ?
74.1
%O
2 16.0 
x100% 43.2%
74.1
What is the % composition of Ca(OH)2?
atoms of an element atomic weight  100%
formula weight of compound 
FW = 74.1 g
% H
atoms of Hatomic weight 
100%
formula weight of Ca(OH)2 
%H
2 1.008 
100%  ?
74.1
Summary

%H
2 1.008 
100%  2.72%
% Ca = 54.0
%O = 43.2
74.1 %H = 2.72
Sum = 99.92
Empirical vs
Molecular
Formula
• Empirical formulas show only the simplest ratio of atoms in the
formula
• ionic compounds are represented by their empirical
formula
• Molecular formulas show the actual composition of a molecule
Consider each formula below:
A. if it is an empirical formula
B. if it is a molecular formula
C. if it is both an empirical and a molecular formula
• H 2O
• H 2O 2
• HO
• C6H12O6
Deriving an Empirical
Formula

Class Practice

Magnetite is composed of only iron and oxygen and is 72.36% iron by mass.
What is its empirical formula?
Convert % comp to mass (assume 100g)
Convert to moles
Simplify mole ratio
Calculating a Formula from %
Composition
Determining a Formula
from Mass Data
Example: A compound is found to be 64.82 % carbon, 21.59 % oxygen and 13.59
% hydrogen.
What is the empirical formula for this compound?

Solution: determine X, Y & Z in (CXHYOZ)

1. Since the percentages for each element sum to

100%, if one equates % to grams (g), the sum of
the masses must be 100g.
(i.e. one can assume 100g of the compound)
Example: A compound is found to be 64.82 % carbon, 21.59 % oxygen and 13.59
% hydrogen.
What is the empirical formula for this compound?

Solution: determine X, Y & Z in (CXHYOZ)

1. Since the percentages for each element sum to

100%, if one equates % to grams (g), the sum of
the masses must be 100g.
(i.e. one can assume 100g of the compound)

64.82 g C 21.59 g O 13.59 g H

Example: A compound is found to be 64.82 % carbon, 21.59 % oxygen and 13.59
% hydrogen.
What is the empirical formula for this compound?

2. Convert the grams of each element to moles.

(g element X  mole X etc…)
Example: A compound is found to be 64.82 % carbon, 21.59 % oxygen and 13.59
% hydrogen.
What is the empirical formula for this compound?

2. Convert the grams of each element to moles.

(g element X  mole X etc…)
Oxygen in a
compound is
always
monatomic…

The same
applies to
hydrogen!
Example: A compound is found to be 64.82 % carbon, 21.59 % oxygen and 13.59
% hydrogen.
What is the empirical formula for this compound?

3. Divide each of the individual moles by the smallest

number of moles to gain the molar ratios for each
element in the compound.
5.397 mol C 1.349 mol O 13.48 mol H
These are the formula subscripts. (CXHYOZ etc…)
Example: A compound is found to be 64.82 % carbon, 21.59 % oxygen and 13.59
% hydrogen.
What is the empirical formula for this compound?

3. Divide each of the individual moles by the smallest

number of moles to gain the molar ratios for each
element in the compound.
5.397 mol C 1.349 mol O 13.48 mol H
These are the formula subscripts. (CXHYOZ etc…)

Subscript for C Subscript for H Subscript for O

Example: A compound is found to be 64.82 % carbon, 21.59 % oxygen and 13.59
% hydrogen.
What is the empirical formula for this compound?

**If the ratios are fractional (0.5, 1.5 or 0.333) multiply

each ratio by a whole number to get even number
formula subscripts.

Examples:

0.5  2 = 1 0.25  4 = 1 0.333  3 = 1

Example: A compound is found to be 64.82 % carbon, 21.59 % oxygen and 13.59
% hydrogen.
What is the empirical formula for this compound?

Rounding to the nearest whole numbers:

CXHYOZ
X = 4.001 = 4 Y = 9.992 =10 Z = 1.000 = 1

The empirical formula is: C4H10O

The results of this calculation tells us only about the

empirical formula of the compound.
Example: A compound is found to be 64.82 % carbon, 21.59 % oxygen and 13.59
% hydrogen.
What is the empirical formula for this compound?

4. Determining the Molecular Formula

For some compounds, the molecular formula is a

multiple of the empirical formula:

empirical formula molecular formula

n x CXHYOZ = CnXHnYOnZ

n = 2,3,4…
Example: A compound is found to be 64.82 % carbon, 21.59 % oxygen and 13.59
% hydrogen.
What is the empirical formula for this compound?

4. Determining the Molecular Formula

Since the molecular formula is a multiple is scaled

by a factor “n”, the molecular and empirical molar
masses must also scale by the same ratio.
Example: A compound is found to be 64.82 % carbon, 21.59 % oxygen and 13.59 %
hydrogen.
What is the empirical formula for this compound?

4. Determining the Molecular Formula

• The empirical formula weight for C4H10O is 74.12

g/mol
• In a separate experiment, the molar mass of the
compound was determined to be 222.1 g/mol.
• What is the molecular formula?
Example: A compound is found to be 64.82 % carbon, 21.59 % oxygen and 13.59
% hydrogen.
What is the empirical formula for this compound?

4. Determining the Molecular Formula

The molecular formula of the compound is:

C12H30O3
Hydrates
A hydrate is a substance composed of an inorganic salt
and physically bound water.

MXnH2O

salt water

n = is the ratio of moles of water to 1 mole of the

salt
Naming Hydrates

Salt name + prefix hydrate

prefix: mono, di, tri etc…

barium chloride
BaCl22H2O
dihydrate

sodium sulfate pentahydrate Na2SO4 5H2O

Heating Hydrates
When a hydrate is heated, the water is liberated.


→
• For every one mole of hydrate, n moles (in this case 2) of water are liberated.
• After heating, any mass that remains is due to the salt residue.
• Therefore, any mass loss in heating is due to the water loss.

mass sample – mass residue = mass water lost

Determining the
Formula of Hydrated
Compound
 Hydrate Formulas
From the mass of the water lost, one can find the mols of
water associated with the hydrate.

 

Knowing the mass and chemical identity of the anhydrous

salt…

One can determine the mols of the anhydrous salt.

The ratio of mols of water to mols of salt (n) is found by:

Thank You!!!