Dividing both mole values by
the smaller one gives:
O
2.5
1.409
3.523
and
P
1
1.409
1.409
=
=
This yields the formula PO2.5
Since compounds must contain whole numbers of
atoms,
the empirical formula should contain only
whole numbers.
Empirical Formula = P2O5
Empirical
Formula Example, contd.