Empirical formulas Original Scenario-Based Practice

Questions

1. 1.

   A xenobotanist navigating the upper clouds of a distant gas giant isolates a luminescent aerial spore produced by floating pseudo-flora. Quantitative elemental breakdown of a 10.80 g sample of this dried spore material yields 7.20 g of carbon, 1.20 g of hydrogen, and 2.40 g of oxygen. Assuming atomic molar masses of 12.0 g/mol for carbon, 1.0 g/mol for hydrogen, and 16.0 g/mol for oxygen, what is the empirical formula of this alien organic compound?

   • A) $\text{C}_4\text{H}_8\text{O}$
   • B) $\text{C}_6\text{HO}_2$
   • C) $\text{C}_4\text{H}_4\text{O}$
   • D) $\text{C}_2\text{H}_4\text{O}$
2. 2.

   A deep-space salvage crew recovers a glowing crystalline deposit from the crust of a distant icy planetoid. Quantitative analysis demonstrates that the compound consists of 43.64% phosphorus and 56.36% oxygen by mass. Given the molar masses of phosphorus (30.97 g/mol) and oxygen (16.00 g/mol), what is the empirical formula of this extraterrestrial mineral?

   • A) $\text{PO}_3$
   • B) $\text{P}_2\text{O}_5$
   • C) $\text{P}_2\text{O}_3$
   • D) $\text{PO}_2$

Answers and step-by-step solutions appear after you finish the test.