Empirical Formula Lab Report

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When matter goes through a physical change its appearance changes not its molecules. Stepping on an aluminum can and crushing it is a physical change, its shape changes but the energy inside the can did not change meaning it couldn’t be a chemical change. Chemical changes happen on a very small scale and can happen over a period of time. Chemical changes are a change that forms a new chemical substance. A chemical changes is the breaking or joining of bonds and atoms. Iron rusting, gasoline burning, and milk souring are all chemical changes because new substances are formed. Boiling water, dissolving sugar, and dicing potatoes are examples of physical changes because nothing is changed but the appearance of the substance. The Law of Conservation of Mass confirms there are no signs of gains or loss in mass during a chemical reaction, although the state of the substance could change during the chemical reaction. During a chemical change a substance in a solid …show more content…

It is found by first taking the number of grams in each element given in the problem, then converting the mass of each element into moles by the using the molar mass of the element found on the periodic table. Next you find that you divide each mole value by the smallest number of moles calculated, then round to the nearest whole number. The Empirical Formula shows the lowest possible whole number of elements in a compound. The Empirical Formula mass of a compound also refers to the sum of the atomic masses of the elements present. The Molecular Mass is a representation of the actual whole number ratio from the elements of a compound. If you divide the numbers in a molecular formula by some values to simplify them further then the empirical formula will be different from the original molecular formula. The Molecular Formula shows the how many atoms are present of each element in the molecule of the

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