What is the empirical formula for sucrose?
Understand the Problem
The question is asking for the empirical formula of sucrose, which is a type of sugar composed of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. The empirical formula represents the simplest whole-number ratio of its constituent elements.
Answer
C12H22O11
The final answer is C12H22O11.
Answer for screen readers
The final answer is C12H22O11.
More Information
The empirical formula represents the simplest whole-number ratio of elements in a compound. In the case of sucrose, the ratio of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen atoms (12:22:11) cannot be reduced further without changing the actual composition, hence the empirical formula is the same as the molecular formula.
Tips
A common mistake is to try and simplify the ratio of atoms incorrectly, which could result in losing the true composition of the compound.
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