PROBLEM \(\PageIndex{1}\) Determine the empirical formulas for compounds with the following percent compositions: (a) 15.8% carbon and 84.2% sulfur (b) 40.0% carbon, 6.7% hydrogen, and 53.3% oxygen Answer a CS 2 Answer b CH 2 O Click here to see a video of the solution PROBLEM \(\PageIndex{2}\) Determine the empirical and molecular formula for chrysotile asbestos. Chrysotile has the following percent composition: 28.03% Mg, 21.60% Si, 1.16% H, and 49.21% O. The molar mass for chrysotile is 520.8 g/mol. Answer Mg 3 Si 2 H 3 O 8 (empirical formula), Mg 6 Si 4 H 6 O 16 (molecular formula) PROBLEM \(\PageIndex{3}\) Polymers are large molecules composed of simple units repeated many times. Thus, they often have relatively simple empirical formulas. Calculate the empirical formulas of the following polymers: (a) Lucite (Plexiglas); 59.9% C, 8.06% H, 32.0% O (b) Saran; 24.8% C, 2.0% H, 73.1% Cl (c) polyethylene; 86% C, 14% H (d) polystyrene; 92.3% C, 7.7% H (e) Orlon; 67.9% C, 5.70% H, 26.4% N Answer a C 5 H 8 O 2 Answer b CHCl Answer c CH 2 Answer d CH Answer e C 3 H 3 N Click here to see a video of the solution PROBLEM \(\PageIndex{4}\) A major textile dye manufacturer developed a new yellow dye. The dye has a percent composition of 75.95% C, 17.72% N, and 6.33% H by mass with a molar mass of about 240 g/mol. Determine the molecular formula of the dye. Answer C 15 H 15 N 3 Contributors Paul Flowers (University of North Carolina - Pembroke), Klaus Theopold (University of Delaware) and Richard Langley (Stephen F. Austin State University) with contributing authors. Textbook content produced by OpenStax College is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0 license. Download for free at http://cnx.org/contents/85abf193-2bd...a7ac8df6@9.110 ). Adelaide Clark, Oregon Institute of Technology