when finding moles of H or O in Question 5, do you have to multiply the molecular mass by 2, because they are diatomic molecules?

I'm asking this because my moles of H or O were greater than my moles of C, which seems kinda unreasonable, given the values.

Question

when finding moles of H or O in Question 5, do you have to multiply the molecular mass by 2, because they are diatomic molecules?

I'm asking this because my moles of H or O were greater than my moles of C, which seems kinda unreasonable, given the values.

nottim · Answer

here's what i did for the question

The real question: An organic compound containing only C,H and possibly O was subjected to combustion analysis. A sample weighing 0.7856 g yielded 0.864g CO2 and 0.236g H2O. what is the empirical formula of the compound?