A gaseous hydrogen-and-carbon containing compound is...

A gaseous hydrogen-and-carbon containing compound is decomposed
and found to contain 85.63$\% \mathrm{C}$ and 14.37$\%$ by mass. The mass of 258 $\mathrm{mL}$ of the gas, measured at STP, is 0.646 $\mathrm{g} .$ What is the molecular
formula of the compound?

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Key Concepts

Ideal Gas Law and Molar Volume at STP

At standard temperature and pressure (STP), one mole of an ideal gas occupies a known volume. This concept allows for the determination of the number of moles of a gaseous substance from its measured volume, facilitating calculations such as the molecular weight of the gas.

Empirical Formula Determination

The empirical formula represents the simplest whole-number ratio of the elements in a compound. By converting the mass of each element (obtained from percent composition) into moles and then finding the simplest mole ratio, one can arrive at the empirical formula.

Percent Composition

Percent composition is a technique used in chemistry to determine the proportion by mass of elements present in a compound. This concept helps in converting mass percentages into actual masses, which can then be used to derive the empirical formula of a substance.

Molecular Formula Determination

Once the empirical formula is known, the molecular formula can be determined by comparing the empirical formula mass to the experimentally measured molar mass of the compound. The molecular formula is a multiple of the empirical formula and indicates the actual number of atoms of each element in a molecule.

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