There are 0.5 moles of carbon, 1 mole of hydrogen, and 0.25 mol of oxygen. What is the empirical formula of this compound?

C₂H₄O

Explanation:

The empirical formula of a compound is defined as the simplest whole number ratio of the atoms present in a molecule. As we have in the molecule Carbon, Hydrogen and Oxygen to find the simplest ratio we need to divide each number of moles in the moles of Oxygen (The lower number). As follows:

C = 0.5mol C / 0.25mol O = 2

H = 1 mol H / 0.25mol O = 4

O = 0.25mol O / 0.25mol O = 1

The empirical formula is: