The empirical formula is
C5H11
Explanation:
We have decane, the alkane with a chemical formula of
C10H22
.
The empirical formula of a substance has the smallest ratio between the elements its composed of.
Here, we got the carbon to hydrogen ratio as
10:22
. So, we need to find the greatest common factor between the two numbers.
10=2*5
22=2*11
As you can see here, the greatest common factor between the two numbers is
2
, and so we divide both numbers by
2
.
10/2=5
22/2=11
And so, the new formula becomes
C5H11
