A compound comprised of carbon and hydrogen is completely combusted with excess oxygen to produce 44.0 g of carbon dioxide and 27.0 g of water.  Determine the simplest chemical formula for this compound.

Chemistry: Matter and Change
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ISBN:9780078746376
Author:Dinah Zike, Laurel Dingrando, Nicholas Hainen, Cheryl Wistrom
Publisher:Dinah Zike, Laurel Dingrando, Nicholas Hainen, Cheryl Wistrom
Chapter9: Chemical Reactions
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A compound comprised of carbon and hydrogen is completely combusted with excess oxygen to produce 44.0 g of carbon dioxide and 27.0 g of water.  Determine the simplest chemical formula for this compound.

Expert Solution
Step 1

moles of carbon dioxide produced = mass of carbon dioxide / molar mass of carbon dioxide = 44/44 = 1

And moles of water produced = mass of water / molar mass of water = 27/18 = 1.5 

Since each mole of water has 2 moles of H in it 

Hence moles of H = moles of water X 2 = 2 X 1.5 = 3 

And since each mole of Carbon dioxide has 1 moles of C in it 

=> moles of C = moles of carbon dioxide = 1

Since all the C and H is coming from the hydrocarbon

Hence mole ratio of C : H in hydrocarbon = 1 : 3

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