EMPIRICAL AND MOLECULAR

FORMULAS OF COMPOUNDS
for General Chemistry 1/ Grade 12
Quarter 1/ Week 5

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 FOREWORD

This self – leaning kit will serve as a guide on how to

calculate the empirical formula from the percent
composition of a compound. It will be your aid as you
learn new ideas and enrich your knowledge on the basic
features and importance of empirical formula.
In this learning kit, the students will gain knowledge
on how to answer problems in empirical formula.

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OBJECTIVES:
At the end of the lesson, you should be able to:
K : discuss what is an empirical and molecular formula
S : show how to calculate percent composition of given chemical
formula
A : appreciate the uses of empirical and molecular formula in
daily life

LEARNING COMPETENCIES
- Calculate the empirical formula from the percent
composition of a compound (STEM_GC11PCIf-32).
- Calculate molecular formula with given molar mass.
(STEM_GC11PCIf – 33).

I. WHAT HAPPENED
PRE-ACTIVITIES/PRE-TEST

I. From the given chemical formulas determine the mole ratio of

the required elements in the compound. Write your answers on
your notebook.

Chemical Formula Mole Ratio

1.) H2O2 H = ___ : O = ___
2.) C6H6 C = ___ : H = ___
3.) NH3 N = ___ : H = ___
4.) CCl4 C = ___ : Cl = ___
5.) P2O5 P = ___ : O = ___

II. Determine the most reduced ratio of atoms in a given

compound. Write your answers in your notebook.
Chemical Formula Empirical Formula
1.) C10H12O2
2.) C4H8O2
3.) C4H8
4.) C3N12
5.) C5H10O5

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II. WHAT I NEED TO KNOW
DISCUSSION:

Aside from their names, compounds are represented by their

chemical formulas. A chemical formula is a way of presenting
information about the chemical proportions of atoms that
constitute a particular chemical compound or molecule, using
chemical element symbols, numbers, and sometimes also other
symbols, such as parentheses, dashes, brackets, commas and plus
(+) and minus (−) signs. The chemical formulas show the ratio of the
elements in the compound. Example below show how to
determine the chemical formulas.

Sample Problem 1

What is the chemical formula of a compound containing 70.19%

lead, 8.14% carbon and 21.67% oxygen?

Given:
%lead = 70.19%
%carbon = 8.14%
%oxygen = 21.67%

Find: Chemical formula

Solution:
Step 1: Assume that the sample is 100 g so that the given
percentage of each element is the mass in grams of the element.

Pb = 70.19g C = 8.14g O = 21.67g

Step 2: Calculate the number of moles of each element using the

formula:

mole of the element = mass of the element

atomic mass

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mole Pb = 70.19 g = 0.339 mol
207.19 g/mol

mole C = 8.14 g = 0.678 mol

12.01 g/mol

mole O = 21.67 g = 1.35 mol

16.00 g/mol

Step 3: get the ratio of the elements by dividing the calculated

moles by the smallest quantity.

Pb = 0.339 mol = 1 C = 0.678 mol = 2 O = 1.35 mol = 4

0.339 mol 0.339 mol 0.339 mol

The chemical formula is PbC2O4.

Sample Problem 2

Find the chemical formula of the oxide formed when 1.09 g of

aluminum burns completely in oxygen, producing 2.06 g of the
oxide.

Given: mass of aluminum 1.09 g and mass oxygen = 2.06 g

Find: empirical formula

Solution:
Step 1: Calculate the number of moles of elements found in the
compound using the formula:

mole element = Mass element

Atomic mass element

mole Al = 1.09 g = 0.0404 mol mole O = 0.97 g = 0.0606 mol

6.98 g/mol 16.00 g/mol

(The mass of oxygen is the difference of the masses of the oxide

and aluminum.)
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Step 2: Get the ratio of the elements by dividing the calculated
moles by the smaller quantity.

Al = 0.0404 mol = 1 O = 0.0606 mol = 1.5

0.0404 mol 0.0404 mol

Step 3: Multiply the ratio by 2 to make the subscript a whole

number. Therefore, the chemical formula is Al2O3.

For molecular compounds, the chemical formula can either

represented as an empirical or a molecular formula which was
taken by experimental data in terms of percent composition of
each element in the compound.

Difference between empirical and molecular formulas

The formula that specifies the smallest whole-number ratio of
atoms of these elements in a compound is known as the simplest
formula, or empirical formula. In most cases, the empirical formula
accurately describes the formula of an ionic compound but, for
covalent compounds, it only gives the ratio of the elements
present in the substance. A molecular formula is a chemical
formula that provides the number of each type of atom in a
molecule. Basically, it is the whole number ratio of the multiple of
the empirical formula. To different further, see the following
sample problem see table below and sample problems.

Table 1. Example of the difference between molecular and empirical formulas of some
compounds. Note that it is possible to have the same empirical formula since it based on the
simplest ratio.

Molecular Formula Name Empirical Formula

C2H4 Ethylene (ethene) CH2
C3H6 Propylene (propene) CH2
C6H12O6 Glucose CH2O

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Sample Problem 3

If the empirical formula of the compound is CH2O and its molecular

mass is 181 g/mol, what is its molecular formula? (Note atomic mass
of C = 12.01 g/mol, H = 1.01 g/mol and O = 16.00 g/mol)

Given: empirical formula = CH2O

molecular mass CH2O = 181 g/mol

Find: molecular formula

Solution:
Step 1: Get the empirical formula mass (empirical formula: CH2O)
mass C = 1 x 12.01 g/mol = 12.01 g/mol
mass H = 2 x 1.01 g/mol = 2.02 g/mol
mass O = 1 x 16.00 g/mol = 16.00 g/mol
30.03 g/mol

Step 2: Get the value of n, where n is the multiplier of the subscripts

of the empirical formula:

n = molecular mass = 181 g/mol = 6

empirical mass 30.03 g/mol

Step 3:
Derive the molecular formula using,
molecular formula = empirical formula x n
molecular formula = (CH2O) x 6

Therefore, the molecular formula is C6H12O6.

Sample Problem 4

What is the molecular formula of a compound containing 24.27%

carbon (atomic mass = 12.01 g/mol), 4.07% hydrogen (atomic mass
= 1.01 g/mol), and 71.65% chlorine (atomic mass = 35.45 g/mol) by
mass? The molecular mass of the compound is 98.96 g/mol

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Given: % C = 24.27%, % H = 4.07%, and % Cl = 71.65%
molecular mass = 98.96 g/mol

Find: molecular formula

Solution:
Step 1: Get the empirical formula of the compound.

mole C = 24.27 g = 2.02 mol

12.01g/mol
mole H = 4.07 g = 4.03 mol
1.01g/mol
mole Cl = 71.65 g = 2.02 mol
35.45 g/mol

Step 2: Get the ratio of the elements.

C = 2.02 mol = 1 Cl = 2.02 mol = 1 H = 4.03 mol = 2
2.02 mol 2.02 mol 2.02 mol

The empirical formula is CH2Cl.

Step 3: To get the molecular formula, we need to calculate for the

n, but first the molecular mass based on empirical formula needs
to be calculated

Molar mass based on the empirical formula

mass C = 1 x 12.01 g/mol = 12.01 g/mol

mass H = 2 x 1.01 g/mol = 2.02 g/mol
mass Cl = 1 x 35.45 g/mol = 34.45 g/mol
49.48 g/mol
Step 4: Get the value of n.

n = molecular mass = 98.96 g/mol = 2

empirical mass 49.48 g/mol

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Step 5. Derive the molecular formula using:

molecular formula = empirical formula x n

molecular formula = (CH2Cl) x 2

Therefore, the molecular formula of the compound is C2H4Cl2.

III. WHAT I HAVE LEARNED

EVALUATION/POST TEST:

I. Direction: Arrange the steps in solving molecular formula. Write 1

– 4 on the blank provided before each number.
_____1. Divide the number of moles of each element by the smallest
number of moles.
_____2. Determine the masses.
_____3. Determine the number of moles by dividing the grams by
the atomic mass.
_____4. Convert numbers to whole numbers.

II. Solve.
1. Monosodium glutamate (MSG), a flavor enhancer in certain
foods containing 35.51% carbon (atomic mass = 12.01 g/mol),
4.77% hydrogen (atomic mass = 1.01 g/mol), 37.85% oxygen
(atomic mass = 16.00 g/mol), 8.29% nitrogen (atomic mass =14.01
g/mol) and 13.60% sodium (atomic mass = 22.99 g/mol).
Calculate the chemical formula of MSG.
2. A compound contains 46.7% N and 53.3% O. If the molecular
mass of the compound is 60.0 g/mol, what is the a.) molecular
formula and b.) empirical formula?

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REFERENCE

Bayquen, A. and Peńa, G. (2017). Exploring life through science

series: General Chemistry 1. Phoenix Publishing House Inc:
Quezon City.

Silberberg, M. (2006). Chemistry: The molecular nature of matter

and change, 4th ed. McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.: New York.

mischa. “The Chemistry of Cosmetics.” Curious, Nova, 20 Nov.

2018, www.science.org.au/curious/people-
medicine/chemistry-cosmetics.

“Welcome to Chemical Safety Facts.” ChemicalSafetyFacts.org,

2014, www.chemicalsafetyfacts.org/

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 DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
SCHOOLS DIVISION OF NEGROS ORIENTAL

SENEN PRISCILLO P. PAULIN, CESO V

Schools Division Superintendent

FAY C. LUAREZ, TM, Ed.D., Ph.D.

OIC - Assistant Schools Division Superintendent
Acting CID Chief

NILITA L. RAGAY, Ed.D.

OIC - Assistant Schools Division Superintendent

ROSELA R. ABIERA
Education Program Supervisor – (LRMS)

ARNOLD R. JUNGCO
PSDS – Division Science Coordinator

MARICEL S. RASID
Librarian II (LRMDS)

ELMAR L. CABRERA
PDO II (LRMDS)

MARIA CRISTINA M. SALASALAN

Writer
_________________________________

BETA QA TEAM
ALLAN Z. ALBERTO
SEGUNDINO B. DELES JR.
VERONICA A. RECTO
MANASSES V. JABALDE
EUFRATES G. ANSOK, JR.
AGUSTINA C. OMAGUING

ALPHA QA TEAM
LIEZEL A. AGOR
EUFRATES G. ANSOK, JR.
JOAN Y. BUBULI
MA. OFELIA I. BUSCATO
DEXTER D. PAIRA
LIELIN A. DE LA ZERNA

DISCLAIMER

The information, activities and assessments used in this material are designed to provide accessible learning modality
to the teachers and learners of the Division of Negros Oriental. The contents of this module are carefully researched, chosen, and
evaluated to comply with the set learning competencies. The writers and evaluator were clearly instructed to give credits to
information and illustrations used to substantiate this material. All content is subject to copyright and may not be reproduced in
any form without expressed written consent from the division.
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SYNOPSIS ANSWER KEY

This Student Learning kit deals

about the calculation of molecular
formula given the mass. In this module,
students could appreciate the
importance of molecular formula.
Secondly, they will see the difference
between empirical and molecular
formula in solving problems.

So, join us as we dive in through the

world of the calculation in molecular
formula from the given mass.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Pre-activity/Pre-test

I.
MARIA CRISTINA M. HSALASALAN= 2 : O = 2 or isH =graduate
1 : O = 1 of
Bachelor of Science Cin= 6Nursing
: H = 6 or C = 1 Jose
from : H = 1 Rizal
Memorial State University
N = 1 : H = in 3 2010. Finished
Continuing ProfessionalC = 1 : Education
Cl = 4 (CPE) at
Villaflores College in 2015.
P = 2 :Finished
O=5 her Complete
Academic Requirement II. for Master of Arts in
Empirical
Science Teaching at Negros Formula
Oriental State
1.) C5H6Oat Department of
University. Currently working
Education, as teacher 2.) C2H4O
II, connected at Crisostomo
3.) CH
O. Retes National High School Senior High.
4
4.) CN4
5.) CH5O

Evaluation/Post-test
I. 1.) 3
2.) 1
3.) 2
4.) 4

II. 1.) NaC5H8O4N

2.) a.) N2O2 b.) NO

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