Answer: The value of 'y' in the formula given is 2
Explanation:
We are given:
The given chemical formula of the compound is [tex]SiO_y[/tex]
Mass of Si = 2.8 g
Mass of O = 3.2 g
To formulate the empirical formula, we need to follow some steps:
Moles of Silicon =[tex]\frac{\text{Given mass of Silicon}}{\text{Molar mass of Silicon}}=\frac{2.8g}{28g/mole}=0.1moles[/tex]
Moles of Oxygen = [tex]\frac{\text{Given mass of oxygen}}{\text{Molar mass of oxygen}}=\frac{3.2g}{16g/mole}=0.2moles[/tex]
For the mole ratio, we divide each value of the moles by the smallest number of moles calculated which is 0.1 moles.
For Silicon = [tex]\frac{0.1}{0.1}=1[/tex]
For Oxygen = [tex]\frac{0.2}{0.1}=2[/tex]
The ratio of Si : O = 1 : 2
The chemical formula of the compound becomes [tex]SiO_2[/tex]
Hence, the value of 'y' in the formula given is 2