An organic compound contains C 66.7%, H11.1 % and cl 22.2% by mass, what is it's empirical formula

To find the empirical formula, follow these steps:

1. Assume that you have 100g of the compound. This means you have 66.7g of Carbon (C), 11.1g of Hydrogen (H), and 22.2g of Chlorine (Cl).

2. Convert the mass of each element to moles.

   • For Carbon: 66.7g / 12.01g/mol = 5.56 mol
   • For Hydrogen: 11.1g / 1.01g/mol = 11 mol
   • For Chlorine: 22.2g / 35.45g/mol = 0.63 mol

3. Divide each mole quantity by the smallest number of moles calculated (which is 0.63 in this case) to get the ratio of atoms.

   • For Carbon: 5.56 / 0.63 = 8.8 ≈ 9
   • For Hydrogen: 11 / 0.63 = 17.5 ≈ 18
   • For Chlorine: 0.63 / 0.63 = 1

4. The empirical formula of the compound is therefore C9H18Cl.