The empirical formula is Ca₃P₂O₈.
Assume that you have 100 g of the compound.
Then you have 38.76 g Ca, 19.97 g P, and 41.28 g O.
Now, we must convert these masses to moles and find their ratios.
If the number in the ratio are not close to integers, you multiply them by a number that makes them close to integers.
From here on, I like to summarize the calculations in a table.
Element Mass/g Moles Ratio ×2 Integers
Ca 38.76 0.967 07 1.4998 2.9995 3
P 19.97 0.644 82 1 2 2
O 41.28 2.580 0 4.0011 8.0023 8
The empirical formula is Ca₃P₂O₈.
The empirical formula for this compound in the given case would be - Ca₃P₂O₈ or [tex]Ca_3(PO_4)_2[/tex].
Let assume the given compound is 100g than the molar quantities of each element.
=> Moles of calcium
=
= 0.967 mol
=> Moles of phosphorus
= [tex]\frac{19.97g}{31.0g}[/tex]
= 0.644 mol
=> Moles of oxygen
=
= 2.58 mol
Multiply integers of molecules by a number that makes them close to integers.
Element Mass/g Moles Ratio ×2 Integers
Ca 38.76 0.967 07 1.4998 2.9995 3
P 19.97 0.644 82 1 2 2
O 41.28 2.580 0 4.0011 8.0023 8
Thus, the empirical formula is Ca₃P₂O₈.
Learn more about the empirical formula:
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