Given data:
Hydrogen (H) = 3.730 % by mass
Carbon (C) = 44.44%
Nitrogen (N) = 51.83 %
This means that if the sample weighs 100 g then:
Mass of H = 3.730 g
Mass of C = 44.44 g
Mass of N = 51.83 g
Now, calculate the # moles of each element:
# moles of H = 3.730 g/ 1 g.mole-1 = 3.730 moles
# moles of C = 44.44/12 = 3.703 moles
# moles of N = 51.83/14 = 3.702 moles
Divide by the lowest # moles:
H = 3.730/3.702 = 1
C = 3.703/3.702 = 1
N = 3.702/3.702 = 1
Empirical Formula = HCN
