What is the empirical formula of an unknown compound if was determined by a laboratory experiment that it is made up of 27% by mass of carbon and 73% by mass of oxygen?

The empirical formula for the given compound is

Explanation:

We are given:

Percentage of C = 27 %

Percentage of O = 73 %

Let the mass of compound be 100 g. So, percentages given are taken as mass.

Mass of C = 27 g

Mass of O = 73 g

To formulate the empirical formula, we need to follow some steps:

Moles of Carbon =

Moles of Oxygen =

For the mole ratio, we divide each value of the moles by the smallest number of moles calculated which is 2.25 moles.

For Carbon =

For Oxygen =

The ratio of C : O = 1 : 2

Hence, the empirical formula for the given compound is