1) since we have percentages, we can assume we have 100 grams of the compound.
85.6% Carbon---> 85.6 grams of C
14.4% Hydrogen--> 14.4 grams of H
2) we need to convert the grams to moles for each one using their molar masses.
molar mass of C= 12.0 g/mol
molar mass of H= 1.01 g/mol
[tex]85.6 g C ( \frac{1 mol C}{12.0 grams} )= 7.13 mol C[/tex]
[tex]14.4 g H ( \frac{1 nol H}{1.01 grams} )= 14.3 mol H[/tex]
3) divide each mole by the smallest value(7.13) to find the ratios
Carbon---> [tex] \frac{7.13}{7.13} = 1.0[/tex]
Hydrogen---> [tex] \frac{14.3}{7.13}= 2.0 [/tex]
4) use these ratios to write the empirical formula.
CH₂
