Answer: To find the empirical formula, you need to determine the moles of magnesium (Mg) and oxygen (O) in the given masses and then find the simplest whole-number ratio between them.
Calculate moles:
Moles of Mg:
2.241g/24.305g/mol≈0.092mol
24.305g/mol
2.241g≈0.092mol
Moles of O:
2.894 g16.00 g/mol≈
0.181mol
16.00g/mol
2.894g ≈0.181mol
Determine the mole ratio:
Divide the moles of each element by the smallest number of moles (in this case, 0.092 moles).
For Mg:
0.092mol
0.092mol=1
For O:
0.181mol 1.967
Round to the nearest whole number:
The ratio between Mg and O is approximately 1:2.
Therefore, the empirical formula of the metal oxide is
MgO
2
MgO
2
, but we usually express the empirical formula in the simplest whole-number ratio. So, the empirical formula is
MgO
MgO.
Explanation:
