Question

Measurements also show that a certain sample of the unknown compound contains 6.2 mol of oxygen and 4.1 mol of nitrogen.
Write the complete chemical formula for the unknown compound.

Answer 1

The chemical formula for the unknown compound : N₂O₃

Further explanation

Given

6.2 mol of oxygen and 4.1 mol of nitrogen.

Required

The chemical formula

Solution

Chemical formulas can be expressed in terms of empirical or molecular formulas.

The empirical formula shows the simplest mole ratio of a compound

Meanwhile, the molecular formula shows the actual ratio of the number of elements that make up the compound

We divide the two known moles by the smallest mole (moles of nitrogen)

$\tt N\div O=\dfrac{4.1}{4.1}\div \dfrac{6.2}{4.1}=1\div 1.5=2\div 3$