Empirical and

Molelcular formula
Finding • One can calculate the empirical formula from the
percent composition
empirical
• Empirical formula is defined as the smallest
Formula whole-number ratio of atoms in a compound.
 The compound para-aminobenzoic acid
(you may have seen it listed as PABA on
your bottle of sunscreen) is composed of
Finding carbon (61.31%), hydrogen
empirical (5.14%),nitrogen (10.21%), and oxygen
Formula (23.33%).

Find the empirical formula of PABA.

 Assuming 100.00 g of para-aminobenzoic acid,
1. find the mol of each
Calculating Carbon 61.31𝑔 𝑥
1𝑚𝑜𝑙
12.01 𝑔
= 5.105 𝑚𝑜𝑙 𝐶

Empirical Hydorgen 5.14 g x

1 𝑚𝑜𝑙
1.01 𝑔
= 5.09 𝑚𝑜𝑙 H

Formulas Nitrogen 10.21 g x

1 𝑚𝑜𝑙
14.01 𝑔
= 0.7288 𝑚𝑜𝑙 𝑁
1 𝑚𝑜𝑙
Oxygen: 23.33 g x = 1.456 𝑂
16.00 𝑔
 2. Calculate the mole ratio by dividing by the
smallest number of moles:
5.105 𝑚𝑜𝑙
C: = 7.005 ≈ 7
Calculating
0.7288
5.09 𝑚𝑜𝑙
H: = 6.984 ≈ 7
Empirical
0.7288 𝑚𝑜𝑙
0.7288 𝑚𝑜𝑙
N: = 1.000
Formulas 0.7288 𝑚𝑜𝑙
1.458 𝑚𝑜𝑙
O: = 2.001 ≈ 2
0.7288 𝑚𝑜𝑙

The empirical formula = C7H7NO2

 Since mass percentage gives the number of grams of a particular
Mass element per 100 grams of compound, base the calculation on 100
grams of compound. Each percent will then represent the mass in
grams of that element.

Determine the number of moles of each element present in 100

Determine grams of compound using the atomic masses of the elements

Empirical
present.

Formula
Determination Divide each value of the number of moles by the smallest of the
Divide values. If each resulting number is a whole number (after appropriate
rounding), these numbers represent the subscripts of the elements in
the empirical formula.

If the numbers obtained in the previous step are not whole numbers,
Multiply multiply each number by an integer so that the results are all whole
numbers.
 • Obtain the empirical formula.
• Compute empirical formula mass.

Determining • Calculate the ratio:

𝑀𝑜𝑙𝑎𝑟
𝑒𝑚𝑝𝑖𝑟𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑙 𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑚𝑢𝑙𝑎 𝑚𝑎𝑠𝑠

Molecular • The integer from the previous step represents

the number of empirical formula units in one
Formula from molecule.
Empirical • When the empirical formula subscripts are

Formula
multiplied by this integer, the molecular
formula results.
 Determine the empirical and molecular
formulas for the compound that gives the
following percentages on analysis (in mass
percent):

Example
The molar mass is known to be 98.96
g.mol-1

71.65% Cl 24.27 % C 4.07% H

 Example

• The mass of each element in 100 g of compound is: Divide by the smalles
Cl: 71.65 g C: 24.27 g H: 4.07 g 2.021 𝑚𝑜𝑙
Cl: =1
2.021 𝑚𝑜𝑙
• Calculate the moles: 2.021 𝑚𝑜𝑙
C: =1
2.021 𝑚𝑜𝑙
1 𝑚𝑜𝑙 𝐶𝑙 4.04 𝑚𝑜𝑙
71.65 𝑔 𝐶𝑙 𝑥 = 2.021 𝑚𝑜𝑙 𝐶𝑙 H: =2
35.45 𝑔 2.021 𝑚𝑜𝑙
1 𝑚𝑜𝑙 𝐶
24027 𝑔 𝐶 𝑥 = 2.021 𝑚𝑜𝑙 𝐶 The empirical formula = ClCH2
12.01 𝑔
1 𝑚𝑜𝑙 𝐻
4.07 𝑔 𝐻 𝑥
1.008 𝑔 𝐻
= 4.04 𝑚𝑜𝑙 𝐻 Empirical formula mass = 49.48 g mol-1
 • Empirical formula = 49.48 g mol-1
• Molar mass is given – 98.96 g mol-1
Find the 𝑀𝑜𝑙𝑎𝑟 𝑚𝑎𝑠𝑠 98.96 g mol−1
molar mass
= =2
𝐸𝑚𝑝𝑖𝑟𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑙 𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑚𝑢𝑙𝑎 𝑚𝑎𝑠𝑠 49.48 g mol−1

Molecular formula = (ClCH2)2 = Cl2C2H4

Question
Answer

• This yields the formula PO2.5 .Compound

must have whole numbers
• To determine whole numbers the best is
to multiply both by two. Thus P2O5