Citric acid, the compound responsible for the sour taste of lemons, has an elemental composition of 37.51% C, 4.20% H, and 58.29% O Calculate the empirical formula of citric acid.

The empirical formula of citric acid is C6H8O7

Explanation:

Step 1: Data given

Suppose the compound has a mass of 100.0 grams

The compound contains:

37.51 % C = 37.51 grams C

4.20 % H = 4.20 grams H

58.29 % O = 58.29 grams O

Molar mass of C = 12.01 g/mol

Molar mass of H = 1.01 g/mol

Molar mass of O = 16.00 g/mol

Step 2: Calculate moles

Moles = mass / molar mass

Moles C = 37.51 grams / 12.01 g/mol

Moles C = 3.123 moles

Moles H = 4.20 grams / 1.01 g/mol

Moles H = 4.16 moles

Moles O = 58.29 grams / 16.00 g/mol

Moles O = 3.643 moles

Step 3: Calculate mol ratio

We divide by the smallest amount of moles

C: 3.123 moles / 3.123 moles = 1

H: 4.16 moles / 3.123 moles = 1.33

O: 3.643 moles / 3.123 moles = 1.17

If we multiply those by 6 we find the coefficients of the empirical formula

C6H8O7

The empirical formula of citric acid is C6H8O7

it is to be noted that an alpha particle is an helium nucleus. so it contains 2 protons 2 neutrons and has a mass number of 4. when alpha decay particles are ejected from the nucleus it gets transformed into an atom which has atomic number less than 2 and a mass number less than 4.

an equation that could represent alpha decay is radium 226 decay of alpha particle forms radon 222.

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