Department of Education

National Capital Region

S CHOOLS DIVIS ION OFFICE
MARIK INA CITY

General Chemistry 1
First Quarter-Module 5:
Empirical and Molecular Formula

Writer: Coleen Michelle L. Magalong

Cover Illustrator: Christine Ann G. Faraon

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 What I Need to Know

This module was designed and written with you in mind. It is here to help you
master the concepts and ideas in Chemistry. The scope of this module permits it to
be used in many different learning situations. The language used recognizes the
diverse vocabulary level of students. The lessons are arranged to follow the standard
sequence of the course.

Learning Competencies
• Calculate the empirical formula from the percent composition of a
compound (STEM_GC11PCIf-32).
• Calculate molecular formula given molar mass (STEM_GC11PCIf-33).

After going through this Lesson, you are expected to

1. define percent composition, empirical, and molecular formula;
2. determine the formula mass of a compound;
3. describe steps in calculating percent composition of a compound; and
4. explain the steps in determining the empirical formula of a compound.

What I Know

Read each questions carefully. Choose the letter of the best answer then write your
answers on a separate sheet of paper.

1. Which of the following gives the actual number of atoms present in a

chemical compound?
A. Chemical formula
B. Empirical formula
C. Molecular formula
D. Structural formula

2. Which of the following is an example of a molecular formula?

A. CH (Acetylene)
B. CH2 (Ethylene)
A. C2H4O (Acetic acid)
B. CH2O (Formaldehyde)

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 3. Which of the following is an example of an empirical formula?
A. C6H8O6 (Ascorbic acid)
B. C7H6O2 (Benzoic acid)
C. C4H8O2 (Butanoic acid)
D. C2H6O2 (Ethylene glycol)

4. What is the correct molecular weight of NH3?

A. 17 g/mol
B. 18 g/mol
C. 19 g/mol
D. 20 g/mol

5. What is the molar mass of barium perchlorate, Ba (ClO 4)2?

A. 179.20 g/mol
B. 245.14 g/mol
C. 292.14 g/mol
D. 336.24 g/mol

6. A compound has a molecular formula of C 12H24O6. What is its empirical

formula?
A. CHO
B. C2H4O
C. C6H12O3
D. C12H24O6

7. In a 100 g sample of a substance, 85.6% is carbon and 14.4% is Hydrogen.

How much carbon in grams is in the sample of substance?
A. 12.0 g
B. 14.0 g
C. 85.6 g
D. 856.0 g

8. What is the mass percentage of oxygen in Al(OH)3?

A. 49.8%
B. 61.5%
C. 70.5%
D. 72.1%

9. It is the ratio of the amount of each element to the total amount of

individual elements in a compound multiplied by 100.
A. Molar ratio
B. Percent yield
C. Probability ratio
D. Percent composition

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 10. How many moles is in a 50.05 g of sulfur?
A. 1.50 mol
B. 1.56 mol
C. 1.60 mol
D. 2.00 mol

11. Calculate the percent by mass of nitrogen in (NH4)2CO3.

(molar mass = 96.09 g/mol).
A. 29.1 %
B. 35.9 %
C. 39.1 %
D. 41.1%

12. A compound is found to contain 37.47% carbon, 12.61% hydrogen, and

49.92% oxygen by mass. What is the empirical formula for this compound?
A. CH2O
B. CH4O
C. C3H4O
D. C2H5O

13. A compound has an empirical formula of C 2H2O. If its molecular weight is

168 g/mol the molecular formula of this compound is ___________.
(Atomic Mass: C = 12 g, H = 1 g, O = 16 g)
A. C3H6O3
B. C8H8O4
C. C4H4O2
D. C6H6O3

For numbers 14 and 15 refer to the following statement.

A given sample of substance is composed of 53.3% carbon, 11.1% hydrogen, and

35.6% oxygen and has a molecular mass of 1.1 g/mol.

14. What is the empirical formula for this substance?

A. C2H5O
B. C3H7O
C. C5H9O
A. C7H5O

15. What is the molecular formula of this substance?

A. C2H4O2
B. C4H10O2
C. C6H12O4
D. C6H18O6

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 Empirical and Molecular
Lesson
Formula

What’s In

The chemical composition of a compound defines its chemical identity; thus,

compounds are represented by a chemical formula that shows its chemical
composition.

Chemical formula may either be an empirical formula or a molecular formula.

Empirical formula shows the simplest whole number ratio, while molecular formula
shows the actual number of atoms of elements present in one molecule of the
compound. Molecular formula of a compound maybe the same as its empirical
formula.

What’s New

The first step in determining the chemical formula of a compound, is you must
find first its molecular mass and the mass of each of its elements. The results of
these allows the calculation of the compound’s percent composition.

Percent composition is defined as the percentage by mass of each element in

the compound.

Activity 1. Molecular Mass

Determine the molecular mass of the following compounds.

Compound Elements in Number Atomic mass Total mass Molecular

the of of each of each mass of the
compound elements element element compound
(grams) (grams) (g/mol)
H20
CO2
MgO
NI3
KI

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 What Is It

I. Percentage Composition

The percent composition represents the percentage that each element

in a compound contributes to the total mass of the compound. It is the ratio
of the amount of each element to the total amount of individual elements in a
compound multiplied by 100.

How to calculate percentage composition

Example 1. What is the percent composition of H2O?

Step 1. Find the molar mass using the chemical formula of the given.

Compound Elements Number of Atomic Total mass of the elements

atoms mass (# of atoms x atomic mass)
(g)
H2O H 2 1 2
O 1 16 16
Total mass of the compound 18 g

Step 2. Divide mass of each element with the total mass of the compound multiplied
by 100.

Formula:

Final answer: % H = 11 %
% O = 89 %

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Example 2. An 8.20 g piece of magnesium combines with 5.40 g of oxygen to form
magnesium oxide. What is the percent composition of magnesium oxide?

Step 1. Find the total mass of the compound from the mass of each element given in
the problem.

Compound Element Mass of each

element
MgO Mg 8.20 g
O 5.40 g
Total mass of the compound 13. 60 g

Step 2. Divide mass of each elements with the total mass of the compound multiplied
by 100.

Formula:

Final answer: % Mg = 60. 29%

% O = 39. 71%

II. Empirical Formula

Empirical Formula is a formula that gives the simplest whole-number

ratio of atoms in a compound. To calculate empirical formula if the percentage
composition is given, you must follow the steps below.

How to calculate empirical formula.

Example. What is empirical formula of a compound which consists of 50.05% S and

49. 95% of O?

Step 1. Since the percent composition is given, assume that this sample of substance
is 100 g, this will directly convert the percentages into grams.

S = 50.05% = 50.05 g
O = 49. 95% = 49.95 g

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Step 2. Convert the molar mass to number of moles. Using this formula

Mass of n = mass of the unknown in grams

Molar mass of n = atomic mass of the unknown

Solution:

Step 3. Divide all molar mass with the lowest molar mass to get the smallest whole-
number ratio.

Step 4. From the smallest whole number result above you may now write the
empirical formula of the compound.

since: S = 1 therefore the empirical formula is: SO2

O=2

III. Molecular Formula

Molecular Formula is a formula that gives the actual number of atoms

in a compound. To calculate molecular formula if the molar mass is given,
you must follow the steps below.

How to calculate molecular formula.

Example. What is the molecular formula of the given above (SO 2) if its molecular
weight is 64.07 g/mol?

Step 1. Find the formula weight of the empirical formula.

Empirical Formula Mass (EM) = number of element x atomic mass

S=1 S = 1 x 32 g = 32 g
O=2 O = 2 x 16 g = 32 g
total = 64 g/ mole

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Step 2. Divide the given molecular mass (MM) with the resulting empirical mass
(EM).

Step 3. To get the final molecular formula, use the result in step 2. Multiply this to
the empirical formula of the compound.

SO2 x 1 or (SO2)1 = SO2

Molecular Formula = SO2

What’s More

Activity 2. Percentage Composition, empirical and molecular

formula.
Read and answer the following problems. Use a separate sheet of paper to show you
complete solution.

1. Determine the percent composition of potassium permanganate (KMnO 4).

2. Determine the empirical formula of a compound that consist of 36.48% Na;

25.44% S; 38.08% O?

3. Find the molecular formula of a compound that has a molar mass of 30.0 g
and an empirical formula of CH3.

4. Determine the empirical formula of a compound with a percentage

composition of 85.0% silver and 15.0% fluorine.

5. What is the molecular formula of a compound with an empirical formula of

ClCH2 and a molecular weight of 98.96 g/mol?

6. A compound containing 5.93% H and 94. 07% O has a molar mass of 34. 01
g/mol. Determine the empirical and molecular formula of this compound.

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 What I Have Learned

Activity 3
Read each statement carefully, fill in the blanks that will best complete the sentence.

1. The percent composition by mass of a compound represents the

______________ that each element in a compound contributes to the total mass
of the compound.
2. The molar mass, also known as molecular weight, is the sum of the
_______________ of all the atoms of a given molecule.
3. The atomic mass of oxygen is _______grams.
4. The molar mass of H2O is _______g/mol.
5. To compute the percentage of each element in a compound you simply divide
the atomic mass with ____________multiplied by 100.
6. Empirical Formula is a formula that gives the _________________ of atoms in a
compound.
7. If the percentage composition of a compound is given and we need to get the
mass of each element in a compound, we simply assume that the mass of a
sample of a substance is _________grams, thus the mass is equal to the
percentage composition of each element.
8. If the molecular weight of a compound is given, to find the molecular formula
we simply divide the molecular weight with the ______________of the
compound.
9. If the molecular formula of a compound is C 6H12O6, its empirical formula
is____________.
10. If the molecular formula of a compound is SO 2, its empirical formula
is____________.

What I Can Do

Read and answer the following problem. Use a separate sheet of paper to show your
complete solution.

In your laboratory class, your chemistry teacher gave you an unknown

compound with a percent composition of 47.0 % potassium, 14.5 % carbon, and 38.5
% oxygen and a molar mass of 166.22 g/mol. She then asks you to find the following
(a) empirical formula and (b) the molecular formula of this compound.

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 Assessment

Read each questions carefully. Choose the letter of the best answer then write your
answers on a separate sheet of paper.

1. A compound has an empirical formula of C 2H2O. If its molecular weight is

168 g/mol the molecular formula of this compound is ___________.
(Atomic Mass: C = 12 g, H = 1 g, O = 16 g)
A. C3H6O3
B. C8H8O4
C. C4H4O2
D. C6H6O3

2. Which of the following is an example of a molecular formula?

A. CH (Acetylene)
B. CH2 (Ethylene)
C. C2H4O (Acetic acid)
D. CH2O (Formaldehyde)

3. What is the correct molecular weight of NH3?

A. 17 g/mol
B. 18 g/mol
C. 19 g/mol
D. 20 g/mol

4. Which of the following gives the actual number of atoms present in a

chemical compound?
A. Chemical formula
B. Empirical formula
C. Molecular formula
D. Structural formula

5. What is the molar mass of barium perchlorate, Ba (ClO 4)2?

A. 179.20 g/mol
B. 245.14 g/mol
C. 292.14 g/mol
D. 336.24 g/mol

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 6. Which of the following is an example of an empirical formula?
A. C6H8O6 (Ascorbic acid)
B. C7H6O2 (Benzoic acid)
C. C4H8O2 (Butanoic acid)
D. C2H6O2 (Ethylene glycol)

7. Calculate the percent by mass of nitrogen in (NH4)2CO3.

(molar mass = 96.09 g/mol).
A. 29.1 %
B. 35.9 %
C. 39.1 %
D. 41.1%

8. In a 100 g sample of a substance, 85.6% is carbon and 14.4% is Hydrogen.

How much carbon in grams is in the sample of substance?
A. 12.0 g
B. 14.0 g
C. 85.6 g
D. 856.0 g

9. What is the mass percentage of oxygen in Al(OH) 3?

A. 49.8%
B. 61.5%
C. 70.5%
D. 72.1%

For numbers 10 and 11 refer to the following statement.

A given sample of substance is composed of 53.3% carbon, 11.1% hydrogen, and

35.6% oxygen and has a molecular mass of 1.1 g/mol.

10. What is the empirical formula for this substance?

A. C2H5O
B. C3H7O
C. C5H9O
D. C7H5O

11. What is the molecular formula of this substance?

A. C2H4O2
B. C4H10O2
C. C6H12O4
D. C6H18O6

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 12. A compound has a molecular formula of C 12H24O6. What is its empirical
formula?
A. CHO
B. C2H4O
C. C6H12O3
D. C12H24O6

13. It is the ratio of the amount of each element to the total amount of
individual elements in a compound multiplied by 100.
A. Molar ratio
B. Percent yield
C. Probability ratio
D. Percent composition

14. How many moles is in a 50.05 g of sulfur?

A. 1.50 mol
B. 1.56 mol
C. 1.60 mol
D. 2.00 mol

15. A compound is found to contain 37.47% carbon, 12.61% hydrogen, and

49.92% oxygen by mass. What is the empirical formula for this compound?
A. CH2O
B. CH4O
C. C3H4O
D. C2H5O

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 Additional Activities

Read and answer the following problems. Use a separate sheet of paper to show your
complete solution.

1. Rubbing alcohol contains 60.0% carbon, 13.4% hydrogen, and 26.6%

oxygen. What is the empirical formula of rubbing alcohol?

2. Dimethylglyoxime, a reagent commonly used in analytical chemistry, has an

empirical formula of C2H4NO and a molar mass of 116.1 g/mol. What is the
molecular formula of the compound?

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 References

(1) Chemical compound formula | Formula chart. (2018, November 3).

BYJUS. https://byjus.com/chemical-compound-formulas/

(2) ChemTeam: Calculate empirical formula when given percent

compositiondata. (n.d.). ChemTeam: Go to ChemTeam's Main Menu.
https://www.chemteam.info/Mole/Emp-formula-given-percent-
comp.html

(3) Determining empirical and molecular formulas – Chemistry. (n.d.).

https://opentextbc.ca/chemistry/chapter/3-2-determining-
empirical-and-molecular-formulas/

(4) Determining empirical and molecular formulas | General college chemistry

I.(n.d.). Lumen Learning – Simple Book Production.
https://courses.lumenlearning.com/suny-mcc-chemistryformajors-
1/chapter/determining-empirical-and-molecular-formulas/
(5) Percentage composition: Definition, examples, problems ~ ChemistryGod.
(2019, October 27). ChemistryGod.
https://chemistrygod.com/percentage-composition

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 Development Team of the Module
Writer: Coleen Michelle L. Magalong (SEHS)
Editor: Reynald Alfred A. Recede (MHS)
Russel S. Berador (SEHS)
Maria Carmina R. Martin (MHS)
Reviewer: Jessica S. Mateo (EPS - Science)
Layout Artist: Christine G. Faraon (BNHS)
Management Team:
Sheryll T. Gayola
Assistant Schools Division Superintendent
OIC, Office of the Schools Division Superintendent

Elisa O. Cerveza
Chief, Curriculum Implementation Division
OIC, Office of the Assistant Schools Division Superintendent

Ivy Coney A. Gamatero

Education Program Supervisor – Learning Resource Management Section

For inquiries or feedback, please write or call:

Schools Division Office- Marikina City

191 Shoe Ave., Sta. Elena, Marikina City, 1800, Philippines

Telefax: (02) 8682-2472 / 8682-3989

Email Address: sdo.marikina@deped.gov.ph

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