Empirical Formula of Sulfur & Oxygen Compound

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SUMMARY

The empirical formula for the compound formed by sulfur and oxygen, based on a sulfur mass of 1.28 g and an oxygen mass of 1.92 g, is SO3. The calculation involves converting the masses of sulfur and oxygen to moles, resulting in 0.04 mol of sulfur and 0.24 mol of oxygen. The confusion regarding the diatomic nature of oxygen is clarified; in compounds, oxygen is represented as O, not O2. The incorrect assumption of SO6 arises from misunderstanding the molecular composition of the compound.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of molar mass calculations
  • Knowledge of empirical formulas in chemistry
  • Familiarity with stoichiometry
  • Basic concepts of chemical bonding and molecular composition
NEXT STEPS
  • Study the process of calculating empirical formulas from mass data
  • Learn about the differences between diatomic and monatomic elements in compounds
  • Explore stoichiometric calculations in chemical reactions
  • Investigate the valence and oxidation states of sulfur and oxygen
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Chemistry students, educators, and anyone interested in understanding empirical formulas and chemical composition of compounds.

asadpasat
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Please post this type of questions in HW section using the template.
A sample of sulfur having a mass of 1.28 g combines with oxygen to form a compound with a mass of 3.2g. What is the empirical formula.
So what i did is found the mass of oxygen which is 1.92g . Then converted the 1.28g S to 0.04 mol. Then converted the 1.92g O2 (as it says oxygen, or should it be just O?) to get 0.24mol O. I found online that the answer should be SO3, but I get SO6 because of Oxygen. Should I not assume it is diatomic, and just go with as just element?
 
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asadpasat said:
A sample of sulfur having a mass of 1.28 g combines with oxygen to form a compound with a mass of 3.2g. What is the empirical formula.
So what i did is found the mass of oxygen which is 1.92g . Then converted the 1.28g S to 0.04 mol. Then converted the 1.92g O2 (as it says oxygen, or should it be just O?) to get 0.24mol O. I found online that the answer should be SO3, but I get SO6 because of Oxygen. Should I not assume it is diatomic, and just go with as just element?
When the oxygen is combined with another element in a compound, it is no longer in diatomic form. Plus, there's no such compound as SO6, AFAIK, unless the valence of S is 12 instead of 2.
 
SteamKing said:
When the oxygen is combined with another element in a compound, it is no longer in diatomic form. Plus, there's no such compound as SO6, AFAIK, unless the valence of S is 12 instead of 2.
So when it says that oxygen is combining it should be just O, not O2. If i understood correctly.
 
Yes a single oxygen atom has combined with some other element(s).
It may or may not have originally been an atom which was existing previously as part of diatomic oxygen.
 

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