What are the empirical and molecular formulas of n...

Question

What are the empirical and molecular formulas of nicotine?

Jules Bruno · Accepted Answer

We’re being asked to determine the empirical and molecular formula of nicotine.Nicotine has the chemical structure: First, we will determine the molecular formula of nicotine from its structure.Recall:[readmore]• When an element is not specifically indicated, the end of each bond indicates a carbon• Carbon is tetravalent and will have 4 bonds. If carbon has less than 4 bonds, this means there are H bonds that are not indicatedTherefore, the structure of nicotine is:Based on the structure, there are:2 Nitrogens → N210 Carbons → C1014 Hydrogens → H14The molecular formula of nicotine is N2C10H14We can determine the empirical formula of nicotine from its molecular formula.Recall that empirical formula is a chemical formula showing the simplest (or lowest) whole number ratio of elements in a compound. • The molecular formula of nicotine is N2C10H14• The ratio of each element per 1 mol of nicotine is 2 N : 10 C : 14 H• We can simplify this by dividing each ration by 2 (smallest factor)          2  N ÷ 2 = 1 N          10 C ÷ 2 = 5 C          14 H ÷ 2 = 7 H• The formula would now be: NC5H7• Since we can no longer divide the ratio and still have whole numbers, NC5H7 is the empirical formula of nicotine.The empirical formula of nicotine is NC5H7

Problem: What are the empirical and molecular formulas of nicotine?

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Problem: What are the empirical and molecular formulas of nicotine?

FREE Expert Solution

Problem Details

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