Question

this is the chemical formula for methyl tert - butyl ether (the clean - fuel gasoline additive mtbe): ch₃oc(ch₃)₃. a chemical engineer has determined by measurements that there are 9.6 moles of carbon in a sample of methyl tert - butyl ether. how many moles of hydrogen are in the sample? be sure your answer has the correct number of significant digits.

Explanation:

Step1: Determine C - H ratio

In $CH_3OC(CH_3)_3$, there are 5 carbon atoms and 12 hydrogen atoms. So the C - H ratio is 5:12.

Step2: Set up proportion

Let $x$ be the moles of hydrogen. We have the proportion $\frac{5}{12}=\frac{9.6}{x}$.

Step3: Solve for $x$

Cross - multiply: $5x = 9.6\times12$. Then $x=\frac{9.6\times12}{5}=23.04$.

Answer:

23.0 mol