High School

Nitroglycerin is a compound that contains carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, and oxygen.

A 545-mg sample of nitroglycerin was burned, and 316.8 mg of CO2 (44.0 g/mol), 108.0 mg of H2O (18.0 g/mol), and 100.8 mg of N2 (28.0 g/mol) were collected.

What is the empirical formula of nitroglycerin? [6 marks]

Answer :

Final answer:

To find the empirical formula of nitroglycerin, we first calculate the number of moles of each element, then find the ratio of the elements to get the empirical formula C6H5N3O.

Explanation:

Nitroglycerin is a compound, so to determine its empirical formula we first must determine the number of moles of each element.

First calculate the number of moles of carbon (C), hydrogen (H) and nitrogen (N) that you obtain after burning the 545-mg sample: Moles of C = (316.8 mg of CO2) / (44.0 g/mol) = 0.0072 mol, Moles of H = (108 mg of H2O) / (18.0 g/mol) = 0.006 mol, Moles of N = (100.8 mg of N2) / (28.0 g/mol) = 0.0036 mol.

Lastly, subtract the total mass of C, H, and N from the original mass to find the mass of oxygen (O), then convert this to moles: 545 mg – (316.8 mg + 108 mg + 100.8 mg) = 19.4 mg of O. Moles of O = (19.4 mg of O) / (16.0 g/mol) = 0.0012 mol.

Using these results, determine the ratio of the elements: C:H:N:O = 0.0072 : 0.006 : 0.0036 : 0.0012 = 6 : 5 : 3 : 1. So, the empirical formula of Nitroglycerin is C6H5N3O.

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