Question

what are the molecular and empirical chemical formulas of a compound made up of these molecules? the lines stand for chemical bonds between the atoms. you can ignore the dots -- they represent lone pairs and youll learn about them later. molecular formula: empirical formula:

Explanation:

Step1: Count atoms for molecular formula

Count the number of each type of atom in the molecule. There are 4 carbon (C) atoms, 8 hydrogen (H) atoms and 4 oxygen (O) atoms. So the molecular formula is $C_{4}H_{8}O_{4}$.

Step2: Find empirical formula

Find the greatest - common divisor of the sub - scripts in the molecular formula. The greatest - common divisor of 4, 8 and 4 is 4. Divide each sub - script by 4. So the empirical formula is $CH_{2}O$.

Answer:

Molecular formula: $C_{4}H_{8}O_{4}$
Empirical formula: $CH_{2}O$