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. molecular formula: empirical formula:

Explanation:

Step1: Count atoms for molecular formula

Count the number of each type of atom in the molecule. There are 3 carbon (C) atoms, 8 hydrogen (H) atoms and 3 oxygen (O) atoms. So the molecular formula is $C_{3}H_{8}O_{3}$.

Step2: Simplify for empirical formula

Find the greatest - common divisor of the sub - scripts of the molecular formula. The greatest - common divisor of 3, 8 and 3 is 1. So the empirical formula is the same as the molecular formula, $C_{3}H_{8}O_{3}$.

Answer:

Molecular formula: $C_{3}H_{8}O_{3}$
Empirical formula: $C_{3}H_{8}O_{3}$