determine the empirical formula for succinic acid that is composed of 40.60% carbon, 5.18% hydrogen, and 54.22% oxygen (please explain it)

Question

aaronq · Answer

Those percentages are by mass, meaning that if you took a 100 g sample of pure succinic acid you would have 40.60 g of C, 5.18 g of H, and 54.22 g of O.

To determine the empirical formula you need to use the molar masses. Find the moles of each element individually, then normalize them (statistically speaking) - that is, divide them all (individually) by the one with the least moles - and round to the nearest whole numbers.

anonymous · Answer

I calculated it for you, enjoy my beautiful Paint drawing xD