What must we
do to fix the formula PO2.5?
Empirical Formula = P2O5
A
white compound is analyzed and found to contain
43.64%
phosphorous and 56.36% oxygen by mass.
Since compounds must contain whole numbers of
atoms,
the empirical formula should contain only
whole numbers.
4th Step: Convert to whole numbers.
Do this by multiplying both
mole values to get whole numbers.
1 P x 2 = 2 P
2.5 O x 2 = 5 O
Empirical
Formula Example 1