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Chapter 7: Problem 54

Oleic acid has the empirical formula \(\mathrm{C}_{9} \mathrm{H}_{17} \mathrm{O} .\) If the experimental molar mass is \(282 \mathrm{g} / \mathrm{mol},\) what is the molecular formula of oleic acid?

Short Answer

Expert verified
The molecular formula of oleic acid is \(\mathrm{C}_{18} \mathrm{H}_{34} \mathrm{O}_{2}\).

Step by step solution

01

Determine the molar mass of the empirical formula

Calculate the molar mass of the empirical formula \(\mathrm{C}_{9} \mathrm{H}_{17} \mathrm{O} .\) Molar mass of Carbon(C) = 12.01g/mol, Hydrogen(H) = 1.008g/mol, and Oxygen(O) = 16.00g/mol. Therefore, the molar mass of the empirical formula is = \((9*12.01) + (17*1.008) + 16.00 = 141 \, g/mol.
02

Compute the ratio of the experimental molar mass to the molar mass of the empirical formula

By dividing the experimental molar mass by the molar mass obtained from the empirical formula we get: \(282 / 141 = 2\).
03

Determine the molecular formula

Now, it is known that the molecular formula is a simple factor of the empirical formula. The factor is 2 (obtained from Step 2) and therefore the molecular formula of oleic acid would be \(\mathrm{C}_{18} \mathrm{H}_{34} \mathrm{O}_{2}\).

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Most popular questions from this chapter

Calculate the number of moles in each of the following samples: a. 8.2 g of sodium phosphate b. 6.66 g of calcium nitrate c. 8.22 g of sulfur dioxide

How many moles of compound are in each of the following samples: $$ \begin{array}{l}{\text { a. } 6.60 \mathrm{g}\left(\mathrm{NH}_{4}\right)_{2} \mathrm{SO}_{4} \text { ( molar mass of }} \\\ {\left(\mathrm{NH}_{4}\right)_{2} \mathrm{SO}_{4}=132.17 \mathrm{g} / \mathrm{mol} )} \\ {\text { b. } 4.5 \mathrm{kg} \text { of } \mathrm{Ca}(\mathrm{OH})_{2} \text { (molar mass of }} \\\ {\mathrm{Ca}(\mathrm{OH})_{2}=74.10 \mathrm{g} / \mathrm{mol} )}\end{array} $$

How many molecules in 2.00 \(\mathrm{mol}\) of sucrose, \(\mathrm{C}_{12} \mathrm{H}_{22} \mathrm{O}_{11} ?\)

What conversion factor do you use in converting number of moles into number of formula units?

How many atoms of Fe are in the formula \(\mathrm{Fe}_{3} \mathrm{C} ?\) How many moles of Fe are in one mole of \(\mathrm{Fe}_{3} \mathrm{C}\) ?
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