How to Determine the Empirical Formula of Menthol in a Fun Way!

What is the empirical formula for menthol?

Given the data provided, how can we find the empirical formula for menthol?

Empirical Formula of Menthol

Empirical formulas are always fun to calculate, especially when it involves exciting substances like menthol! To determine the empirical formula of menthol, we need to follow a series of steps that involve some chemistry magic.

First, we start by combusting a 7.035×10^-2-mg sample of menthol. This combustion produces 0.1980 mg of CO2 and 8.113×10^-2 mg of H2O. Now, we need to calculate the moles of carbon and hydrogen in the sample to find the ratio of their atoms.

By converting the mass of CO2 and H2O to moles using their molar masses (44 g/mol for CO2 and 18 g/mol for H2O), we can determine the ratio of carbon to hydrogen. This ratio will help us derive the empirical formula for menthol by using the smallest possible whole numbers for the subscripts.

With some math and a sprinkle of chemistry, we can unveil the mysterious empirical formula for menthol. So, are you ready to embark on this empirical formula adventure with menthol?