What is the Empirical Formula of a Chemical Compound Given Combustion Data?

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SUMMARY

The empirical formula of a chemical compound can be determined using combustion data, specifically when analyzing the combustion of 35.0 mg of a C-H-N compound that produces 33.5 mg of CO2 and 41.4 mg of H2O. The combustion products do not include nitrogen, which complicates the calculation. By calculating the moles of carbon and hydrogen from the combustion products and subtracting their total mass from the original mass, the mass of nitrogen can be derived. This mass can then be used to establish the proportions necessary for determining the empirical formula.

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Homework Statement



35.0mg of C-H-N (the unknown is the empirical formula) combusts to produce 33.5mg CO2 + 41.4mg H2O

Homework Equations


I'm confused by the fact the product does not include N so I'm unsure how to figure for it.



The Attempt at a Solution


Using all the information stoichometrically I have surmised 2 mols of O, 6 mols of H, 1 mol of C.
I used the same type of equations for each ie:
.0335g CO2 (1mol CO2/1mol C 44.01g) * (2mol O/ 1 Mol CO2) = .001522

Oncea again I'm stumped on how to figure the N...

Any help appreciatted!

Warren
 
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I didn't do the calculation but once you figure out how many mols of C and H you convert back to mass then add them together and find the difference from the total giving you the mass of N. Then you set up the proportions to find their relative amounts for the empirical formula (I believe you should be using the mols instead of the mass for the proportions).
 

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