The empirical formula of a compound is determined to be CH2O, and its molecular mass is found to be 90.087 g/mol. Determine the molecular formula of the compound, showing your work.

Question

btaylor · Answer

first, calculate the molar mass of the empirical formula. You get 30.03 g/mol.
Now, the molar mass of the molecular formula is 3 times the molar mass of the empirical formula. So multiply the subscripts by 3, and you get 
C3H6O3

anonymous · Answer

What are two things that you observed when you heated the mixture of tin and nitric acid over the Bunsen burner in the virtual lab, and why was it necessary to heat the mixture in order to determine the empirical formula?

anonymous · Answer

What are two things that you observed when you heated the mixture of tin and nitric acid over the Bunsen burner in the virtual lab, and why was it necessary to heat the mixture in order to determine the empirical formula?