1. Polymers are large molecules composed of simple units repeated many times.

Thus, they often

have relatively simple empirical formulas. Calculate the empirical formulas of the following polymers:

a. Lucite (Plexiglas); 59.9% C, 8.06% H, 32.0% O

b. Saran; 24.8% C, 2.0% H, 73.1% Cl
c. polyethylene; 86% C, 14% H
d. polystyrene; 92.3% C, 7.7% H
e. Orlon; 67.9% C, 5.70% H, 26.4% N

ANS: C5H8O2, CHCl, CH2, CH, C3H3N

2. A major textile dye manufacturer developed a new yellow dye. The dye has a percent composition
of 75.95% C, 17.72% N, and 6.33% H by mass with a molar mass of about 240 g/mol. Determine the
molecular formula of the dye.

ANS: C15H15N3

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

3. The combustion of 40.10 g of a compound which contains only C, H, Cl and O yields 58.57 g of CO 2
and 14.98 g of H2O. Another sample of the compound with a mass of 75.00 g is found to contain
22.06 g of Cl. What is the empirical formula of the compound?

ANS: C4H5ClO2

4. 0.487 grams of quinine (molar mass = 324 g/mol) is combusted and found to produce 1.321 g CO 2,
0.325 g H2O and 0.0421 g nitrogen. Determine the empirical and molecular formulas.

ANS: C10H12NO and C20H24N2O2

5. A 2.52 g sample of a compound containing carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, and sulfur was
burned in excess oxygen gas to yield 4.36 grams of CO 2 and 0.892 grams of H2O as the only carbon
and hydrogen products respectively. Another sample of the same compound of mass 4.14 g yielded
2.60 g of SO3 as the only sulfur containing product. A third sample of mass 5.66 g was burned under
different conditions to yield 2.80 g of HNO3 as the only nitrogen containing product. Determine the
empirical formula of the compound.

ANS: C5H5NOS

6. Anhydrous lithium chlorate(VII) (4.78 g) was dissolved in water and re-crystalized. Care was taken
to isolate all the lithium perchlorate as its hydrate. The mass of the hydrated salt obtained was
7.21 g. What hydrate is it?

ANS: LiClO4 3H2O

7. If 1.951 g BaCl2 nH2O yields 1.864 g of anhydrous BaSO4 after treatment with sulfuric acid,
calculate n.

ANS: BaCl2 2H2O

From: https://www.chemteam.info/