Recall that in combustion analysis, a compound reacts with excess O2 to form products.
mole-to-mole comparison:
Finding the mass of C and H:
mass of C = 4.275 mg C
mass of H = 0.503 mg H
mass of N = 5.775 mg – (4.275 mg C + 0.503 mg H) = 0.997 mg N
Nicotine, a component of tobacco, is composed of C, H, and N. A 5.775-mg sample of nicotine was combusted, producing 15.666 mg of CO2 and 4.491 mg of H2 O. What is the empirical formula for nicotine?
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