Worked example: Determining an empirical formula from combustion data | AP Chemistry | Khan Academy

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[crehenge]

That orange dot is really in the way....

[dhruvthakkar]

How 1mol of c / 1 mol of co2? Really a doubt

[skoosharama]

But CH3 isn't really stable, is it? Wouldn't the H:C ratio imply a formula of CxH3x, rather than simply CH3? The most straightforward formula that fits and is of a real hydrocarbon is C2H6, it seems to me. What am I missing?

[PeRn]

It makes sense when i think about it but moles are kinda funky and go against my instincts so i think it would be best to avoid converting to moles until the end to avoid making mistakes, the concept of the mole just beckons them.

[imosdefinite]

I don't understand how having 0.128 moles of CO2 is the same as having 0.128 moles of C, and that having 0.1927 moles of H20, H2 just 0.1927 * 2?

My logic is that the moles of C02 would be larger than just O (because CO2 is comprised of 2 elements rather than just one). And the moles of H20 would be a larger number than just H2 (because H20 is comprised of two elements rather than just one).

Help!