Answer: The empirical formula of the compound becomes [tex]TiCl_5[/tex]
Explanation:
The empirical formula is the chemical formula of the simplest ratio of the number of atoms of each element present in a compound.
Given values:
Mass of Ti = 0.72 g
Mass of Cl = 2.85 g
The number of moles is defined as the ratio of the mass of a substance to its molar mass. The equation used is:
[tex]\text{Number of moles}=\frac{\text{Given mass}}{\text{Molar mass}}[/tex] ......(1)
To formulate the empirical formula, we need to follow some steps:
- Step 1: Converting the given masses into moles.
Molar mass of Ti = 47.9 g/mol
Molar mass of Cl = 35.6 g/mol
Putting values in equation 1, we get:
[tex]\text{Moles of Ti}=\frac{0.72g}{47.9g/mol}=0.015 mol[/tex]
[tex]\text{Moles of Cl}=\frac{2.85g}{35.6g/mol}=0.080 mol[/tex]
- Step 2: Calculating the mole ratio of the given elements.
Calculating the mole fraction of each element by dividing the calculated moles by the least calculated number of moles that is 0.015 moles
[tex]\text{Mole fraction of Ti}=\frac{0.015}{0.015}=1[/tex]
[tex]\text{Mole fraction of Cl}=\frac{0.080}{0.015}=5.33\approx 5[/tex]
- Step 3: Taking the mole ratio as their subscripts.
The ratio of Ti : Cl = 1 : 5
Hence, the empirical formula of the compound becomes [tex]Ti_1Cl_5=TiCl_5[/tex]
