A
white compound is analyzed and found to contain
43.64%
phosphorous and 56.36% oxygen by mass.
What can we do
to compare the moles?
So we now have
1.409 moles of P &
3.523 moles of O.
3rd Step: Convert the smaller number to one.
Do this by dividing both mole
values by the smaller one.
O
2.5
1.409
3.523
and
P
1
1.409
1.409
=
=
Empirical
Formula Example 1