Republic of the Philippines

Department of Education
Region III
SCHOOLS DIVISION OF ZAMBALES
Zone 6, Iba, Zambales
Tel./Fax No. (047) 602 1391
E-mail Address: zambales@deped.gov.ph
website: www.depedzambales.ph

LEARNING ACTIVITY SHEET

GENERAL CHEMISTRY 1
I. Introduction
The concept of percentage has been widely used to provide certain
information in different fields of study. As an example, let us try to compute
for the percentage of the chosen careers that your class is planning to
pursue. First, you have to get the total number of learners in your class.
Then, you need to identify the number of learners who plan to pursue
engineering courses, science courses, or mathematics courses. Lastly,
calculate the percentage in each choice. These percentages will give us an
indication about your interests and your planned careers.
For this activity, you will be able to grasp the concept of percentage in
the field of chemistry, especially in chemical compounds.

II. Learning Competencies

Calculate the empirical formula from the percent composition of a
compound (STEM_GC11PCIf-32).

III. Objectives:
At the end of this learning activity sheet, you are expected to:
1. Interpret the information provided by the chemical formula;
2. Explain the procedure used to determine the percent composition
of a compound;
3. Explain the procedure used to determine the empirical formula of a
compound given the percent composition; and,
 4. Utilize molar mass data to obtain the molecular formula from the
empirical formula.
IV. Discussion
Elements are made out of atoms which are known as the building
blocks of matter. They are made up of the same kind of atoms. Since matter
can neither be created nor destroyed (as stated in the law of conservation of
mass), elements cannot be decomposed into simpler substances by physical
or chemical means. However, elements are combined to form compounds.
Thus, compounds can be decomposed into simpler compounds or elements.
Given the chemical formula of the compound, we can obtain
information such as the elements it consists, the number of atoms of
elements it consists, and the percent composition. Consider the formula of
carbon dioxide—CO2.

With the given formula, we can obtain the following information:

⮚ The compound is made up of two elements, namely carbon and
oxygen.
⮚ One molecule of CO2 is made up of one atom of carbon and two
atoms of oxygen.
⮚ One mole of CO2 molecules will have one mole of C atoms and
two moles of O atoms.
⮚ The ratio of the number of moles of C to that of O is 1:2.
⮚ CO2 is composed of 27.29% carbon and 72.71% oxygen. The
chemical formula provides the percent composition of CO2.
The percent composition by mass is the percent by mass of each
element in a compound.

Mathematically,
𝑛 𝑥 𝑚𝑜𝑙𝑎𝑟 𝑚𝑎𝑠𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡
𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑐𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑝𝑜𝑠𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑏𝑦 𝑚𝑎𝑠𝑠 = 𝑚𝑜𝑙𝑎𝑟 𝑚𝑎𝑠𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑝𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑑
𝑥 100%

where n = the number of atoms of the element in the compound

For CO2,
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 𝑔
1 𝑥 𝑚𝑜𝑙𝑎𝑟 𝑚𝑎𝑠𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝐶 1 (12.01 𝑚𝑜𝑙 )
%𝐶 = 𝑚𝑜𝑙𝑎𝑟 𝑚𝑎𝑠𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝐶𝑂2
𝑥 100% = 44.01 𝑔/𝑚𝑜𝑙
𝑥 100% = 27. 29%

𝑔
2 𝑥 𝑚𝑜𝑙𝑎𝑟 𝑚𝑎𝑠𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑂 2 ( 16.00 𝑚𝑜𝑙 )
%𝑂 = 𝑚𝑜𝑙𝑎𝑟 𝑚𝑎𝑠𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝐶𝑂2
𝑥 100% = 44.01 𝑔/𝑚𝑜𝑙
𝑥 100% = 72. 71%

The answers indicate that CO2 is composed of 27.29% C atom and

72.71% O atom.
Note: Recall the steps in calculating the molar mass.

The empirical formula of a compound can be calculated from the

percent composition. Because percentage is given, it is convenient to
assume that a compound has a mass of 100.00 g if it is not stated or given.
Examples:
1. A compound is found to consist of 7.81% C and 92.19% Cl. What is
the empirical formula of the compound?
Assume that the mass of the compound is 100.00g. The sample
will therefore contain 7.81 g C and 92.19 g Cl. The masses in grams
are converted to moles to get the ratios of the moles of the elements in
the compound:
1 𝑚𝑜𝑙𝑒 𝐶
7. 81 𝑔 𝑥 12.01𝑔
= 0. 650 𝑚𝑜𝑙𝑒 𝐶

1 𝑚𝑜𝑙𝑒 𝐶𝑙
92. 19 𝑔 𝑥 35.45 𝑔
= 2. 601 𝑚𝑜𝑙𝑒𝑠 𝐶𝑙

The compound is C0.650Cl2.601. However, chemical formulas

should be expressed in whole numbers. Empirical formulas are
expressed as the lowest whole number ratio between the atoms. To
convert to whole numbers, divide the number of moles by the smallest
value (that is 0.650).
0.650 2.601
𝐶: 0.650
= 1 𝐶𝑙 : 0.650
=4

Thus, the empirical formula of the compound is C1Cl4 or CCl4.

2. A compound is found to consist of 43.64% P and 56.36% O. The

molar mass for the compound is 283.88 g/mol. What is the empirical
formula and the molecular formula of the compound?

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 Assume that the mass of the compound is 100.00g. Thus, the
sample contains 43.64 g P and 56.36g O.
Calculate for the moles of each element in 100.00 g of the
compound.

1 𝑚𝑜𝑙𝑒 𝑃
43. 64𝑔 𝑃 𝑥 30.97 𝑔 𝑃
= 1. 409 𝑚𝑜𝑙𝑒𝑠 𝑃

1 𝑚𝑜𝑙𝑒 𝑂
56. 36 𝑔 𝑂 𝑥 16.00 𝑔 𝑂
= 3. 523 𝑚𝑜𝑙𝑒𝑠 𝑂

Divide the mole values by the smallest value which is 1.409

moles.

1.409 3.523
𝑃: 1.409
= 1 𝑂: 1.409
= 2. 5

The empirical formula of the compound is PO2.5. Again, chemical

formulas should be expressed in whole numbers. To do that, multiply
the subscripts by a factor to get the smallest whole number. In this
case, we have to multiply the subscripts by 2. Therefore, the empirical
formula is P2O5.
Remember that the molecular formula gives the composition of
the molecule, in terms of the actual number of atoms present. To get
the molecular formula in this example, we have to compare the mass
of the empirical formula to the molar mass:
Mass of P2O5 = 141.94 g/mol
Molar mass of the unknown compound = 283.88 g/mol
Use the two masses to get n.

𝑚𝑜𝑙𝑎𝑟 𝑚𝑎𝑠𝑠 283.88 𝑔/𝑚𝑜𝑙

𝑛= 𝑚𝑎𝑠𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑒𝑚𝑝𝑖𝑟𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑙 𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑚𝑢𝑙𝑎
= 141.94 𝑔/𝑚𝑜𝑙
=2

The molecular formula is derived from

𝑚𝑜𝑙𝑒𝑐𝑢𝑙𝑎𝑟 𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑚𝑢𝑙𝑎 = (𝑒𝑚𝑝𝑖𝑟𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑙 𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑚𝑢𝑙𝑎)𝑛

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 Therefore, the molecular formula of the compound is (P2O5)2 or
P4O10.

V. Activities
General Directions: Write all your answers in your activity
notebook.
A. Molar Mass
Directions: Calculate the molar mass of the following compounds.
Show your complete solution.
1. Li2CO3

2. CS2

3. CHCl3

4. C6H8O6

5. KNO3

B. Formula to Percent Composition

Directions: Calculate the percent composition of the following compounds.
Write the complete solution.
1. H2O2 : % H = _______ % O = _______

2. NaCl : % Na = _______ % Cl = _______

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3. C6H12O6 % C = _______ % H = _______
% O = _______

4. Mg(OH)2 % Mg = _______ % O = _______

% H = _______

5. H2SO4 % H = _______ % O = _______

% S = _______

C. Empirical Formulas from Percent Composition

Directions: Analyze and solve the problems below. Show your complete
solution.
1. Ascorbic acid (vitamin C) is composed of 40.92 % carbon, 4.58%
hydrogen, and 54.50% oxygen by mass. Determine its empirical formula.
2. Determine the empirical formula of a compound having the following
percent composition by mass: 24.75% K, 34.77% Mn, and 40.51% O.
3. An oxide of chromium is made up of 5.20g chromium and 5.60 g oxygen.
What is the empirical formula of the oxide? (Note: An oxide of nitrogen
contains 63.1% oxygen and has a molar mass of 76.0 g/mol).
4. Compound X has the following percent composition. Determine its
empirical formula.
40.1% C 6.6% H 53.3% O
5. Compound Y has the following percent composition. Determine its
empirical formula.
18.4 % C 21.5 % N 60.1% K

D. Empirical and Molecular Formula

Directions: Analyze and solve the problems below. Show your complete
solution.
1. Determine the empirical formula of a compound composed of 65.5% C,
5.5% H, and 29.0% O?

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2. Determine the molecular formula of the compound given in the first
problem given that its molar mass is 110 g/mol.
3. A compound consists 18.7% lithium, 16.3% carbon, and 65.0% oxygen.
Determine its empirical formula.
4. Determine the molecular formula of the compound given in the third
problem given that its molar mass is 23.8 g/mol.

5. If we know the empirical formula of a compound, what additional

information do we need to determine its molecular formul

E. Molecular Formulas from Empirical Formulas

Directions: Complete the table below by identifying the molecular formulas
of the given compounds.
Empirical Molar Mass n Molecular
Formula (g/mol) (molar mass/mass of empirical formula) Formula
C2OH4 88.0
C4H4O 136
CFBrO 254.7
C2H8N 46.0
CH2O 60.0
C3H7NO3 100
C6H7N 93.0
CH2O 180
CH3O 62.0
HO 34.0

VI. Assessment
Directions: Choose the correct answer from among the choices given. Write
the letter only.
1. Which of the following is the building blocks of matter?
a. ions c. compounds
b. molecules d. elements
2. Which of the following information can be obtained when the chemical
formula of a compound is given?
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 a. Elements that the compound contains.
b. Number of atoms of the elements present
c. Percent composition by mass
d. All of these
3. What type of chemical formula gives the composition of the molecules in
terms of the actual number of atoms present?
a. empirical formula c. both a and b
b. molecular formula d. neither a or b
4. What type of chemical formula gives the composition of the molecules in
terms of the smallest ratio of the number of atoms present?
a. empirical formula c. both a and b
b. molecular formula d. neither a or b
5. A compound has an empirical formula of CH. If its molar mass is about
78 g/mol, what is its molecular formula?
a. C2H2 c. C6H6
b. C4H4 d. C8H8
6. All of the compounds below are used as fertilizers that give nitrogen to the
soil. Which of these has the greatest amount of nitrogen based on mass
percentage?
a. (NH2)2CO c. NH3
b. NH4NO3 d. HNC(NH2)2
7. Which of the following is the correct information on the percent composition of
acetamide. C2H5NO?
a. 40.67% C, 8.53% N, 27.09% O c. 8.53% C, 27.09% N,
40.67% O
b. 27.09% C, 8.53% N, 40.67% O d. 40.67% C, 27.09% N,
8.53% O
For numbers 8-10, consider the chemical formula of aspirin – C9H8O4.
Determine its percent composition by mass. Choose from the choices below.
a. 4.47% b. 35.53% c. 60.00%
8. % C = ________
9. % H = ________
10. % O = ________
11. Caffeine has a molar mass of 194.19g/mol. Which of the following is its
molecular formula?
a. C4H5N2O c. CHNO
b. C8H10N4O2 d. Cannot be determined
For numbers 12-15, identify the empirical formula of the compounds with
the following composition.

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12. 40.1% C, 6.6% H, 53.3% O?
a. CHO c. CHO3
b. C2H4O2 d. CH2O
13. 18.4% C, 21.5% N, 60.1% K?
a. K2CN2 c. KCN
b. K3C3N d. KC2N
14. 68.4% Cr, 31.6% O
a. Cr2O3 c. CrO
b. Cr1O2 d. CrO3
15. 63.5% Ag, 8.2% N, 28.3% O
a. AgN3O c. AgNO
b. AgNO3 d. AgNO2
VII. Reflection
Directions: Give three examples of snack food like potato chips,
peanuts, popcorn and take a look at their food labels. Fill out the table
below containing the information about the snack food that you identified.

Snack Food and its Amount in Amount of Percentage of

Brand grams per sodium per sodium by mass
serving serving (mg) in one serving

VIII. References
Buktenica, Dr. S. "Empirical And Molecular Formula
Worksheet". Scvths.Org, 2009.
https://www.scvths.org/site/handlers/filedownload.ashx?moduleinst
anceid=178&dataid=880&FileName=ef%20worksheet%20homework.p
df.
Chang, Raymond. General Chemistry: The Essential Concepts. 5th ed. New
York: McGraw Hill, 2008.

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Licuanan, Patricia. Teaching Guide For Senior High School: General
Chemistry I. Diliman, Quezon City: Commission on Higher Education,
2016.
"Percent Composition". The Cavalcade O' Chemistry, 2016.
https://chemfiesta.org/2016/03/30/percent-composition-and-averag
e-atomic-mass/.

Prepared by:

WILMA F. DEVERA EdD

Master Teacher II
Zambales National High School

EMS KRYSLYN M. CORREA

Special Science Teacher I
Zambales National High School

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