High School

a) Menthol is an organic compound containing carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. Complete combustion of 0.1595 g of menthol produces 0.4490 g of carbon dioxide and 0.1840 g of water. Determine the empirical formula of the compound, showing your working.

b) A 0.150 g sample of menthol, when vaporized, had a volume of 0.0337 dm\(^3\) at 150 °C and 100.2 kPa. Calculate its molar mass, showing your working.

Answer :

Final answer:

To determine the empirical formula of the compound, convert the given masses to moles, find the mole ratios, and adjust if necessary. To calculate the molar mass, use the ideal gas law to convert the given parameters to moles and divide the mass by the number of moles.

Explanation:

The empirical formula can be determined by finding the ratio of the number of moles of each element in the compound. Here's how you can do it:

  1. Convert the given masses of carbon dioxide and water to moles.
  2. Divide the moles of each element by the smallest number of moles.
  3. Multiply all the mole ratios by a common factor if necessary to obtain whole numbers.

After following these steps, you should be able to determine the empirical formula of the compound.

To calculate the molar mass of the compound, you can use the ideal gas law. Use the equation PV=nRT to convert the given volume, temperature, and pressure into moles. Then, divide the mass of the sample by the number of moles to obtain the molar mass.

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