1. Calculating Empirical Formulas
If percent composition is given:
Assume that the total mass of the compound is g. (Percentages of each element equals the mass in grams.)
Convert grams to moles (using the molar mass of each element).
Find the mole ratio by dividing everything by the smallest # of moles.
If those numbers are whole numbers you have just found the subscripts for the formula.
If actual masses are given you can skip to step 3.

2. Example Problem:
What is the empirical formula for a compound that contains 10.89% magnesium, 31.77% chlorine and the rest is oxygen?
K: UK:
MgCl2O8

3. Determine the empirical formula of a compound containing 2
Determine the empirical formula of a compound containing 2.644g of gold and 0.476g of chlorine.
K: UK:
AuCl

4. BUT…often in determining empirical formulas, the calculated mole ratios are still not whole numbers. In such cases all the mole ratio values must be multiplied by the smallest factor that will make them whole numbers.

5. More Examples:
1. A blue solid is found to contain 36.84% nitrogen and 63.16% oxygen. What is the empirical formula for the solid?
K: UK:
N2O3

6. Propane is a hydrocarbon. It is composed of 81. 82% carbon and 18
Propane is a hydrocarbon. It is composed of 81.82% carbon and 18.18% hydrogen. What is the empirical formula?
K: UK:
C3H8

7. Calculating Molecular Formulas
In order to determine the molecular formula for an unknown compound, you must know the molar mass of the compound in addition to its empirical formula.
Then you can compare the molar mass of the compound with the molar mass represented by the empirical formula.

8. This is done using the following equation:
You get a number to multiply the subscripts of the empirical formula by to get the molecular formula.
Let’s do some practice problems.

9. Practice Problems:
1) Maleic acid is a compound that is used in the plastics and textiles industries. The composition of maleic acid is 41.39% carbon, 3.47% hydrogen, and 55.14% oxygen. Its molar mass is g/mol. Calculate the molecular formula for maleic acid.
K: UK:

10. Start by determining the empirical formula:
What is the mole ratio of the elements? 1C:1H:1O

11. So the empirical formula is: CHO
Next, calculate the molar mass represented by the empirical formula g/mol
As stated in the problem, the molar mass of maleic acid is known to be g/mol.
To determine the molecular formula for maleic acid, calculate the whole number multiple to apply to its empirical formula.

12. This calculation shows that the molar mass of maleic acid is four times the molar mass of its empirical formula CHO.
Therefore, the molecular formula must have four times as many atoms of each element as the empirical formula.
Thus, the molecular formula is C4H4O4

13. To Review:

14. = n

15. More Practice Problems:
2) Caffeine is 49.48% C, 5.15% H, 28.87% N and 16.49% O. It has a molar mass of 194 g/mol. What is its molecular formula?
K: UK:

16. 3) A compound was found to contain 49. 98 g carbon and 10
3) A compound was found to contain g carbon and g hydrogen. The molar mass of the compound is g/mol. Determine the molecular formula.
K: UK:
C4H10

17. 11.5 – The Formula for a Hydrate

18. What is a hydrate?
A hydrate is a compound that has a specific number of water molecules that are “trapped” inside its crystal structure.
Common ones are opal and cobalt chloride.
Images from wikipedia

19. What’s in a name?
To show the number of water molecules in a formula unit of a hydrate chemists write the formula with a dot and the number of water molecules in it.
Example: CaCl2 . 2H2O
The name is calcium chloride dihydrate
This means that for every one formula unit of calcium chloride there are 2 water molecules associated with it.

20. Counting the Water Molecules
Prefix
Molecules of H2O
mono- 1
di- 2
tri- 3
tetra- 4
penta- 5
hexa- 6
hepta- 7
octa- 8
nona- 9
deca- 10
Chemists use prefixes to count how many water molecules are associated with a hydrated compound.
Each prefix means a certain number.
The root word hydrate means water

21. Analyzing a Hydrate
To analyze a hydrate you must remove the water of hydration.
Usually this is done by heating it so that the remaining substance has no water. It is then called an anhydrous substance.
You must find the number of moles of water associated with one mole of the hydrate.
Hydrated cobalt chloride
anhydrous cobalt chloride

22. Example: Suppose you have a sample of a hydrate of copper(II) sulfate.
The formula is CuSO4 . xH2O. You must determine “x”. The “x” is the number of moles of water associated with one mole of CuSO4.
We are going to heat a sample and figure it out together.

23. Uses of hydrates
They can absorb water into their structure so they are used as drying agents in the lab or in stores.
Examples: Calcium sulfate in the lab and the silica packets that sometimes come in shoe boxes or purses