Which of the following is the empirical formula for a compound that is 36.86% nitrogen (N) and 63.14% oxygen (O) by mass?

• A. NO
• B. N2O3
• C. N2O
• D. NO2

Answer: (B)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Step 1: Assume a 100 g sample of the compound so that the mass percentages can be directly converted to grams: 36.86 g of nitrogen (N) and 63.14 g of oxygen (O).
2. Step 2: Convert the masses of each element to moles by dividing by their respective atomic masses: use 14.01 g/mol for nitrogen and 16.00 g/mol for oxygen. Calculate moles of N as \(\frac{36.86}{14.01}\) and moles of O as \(\frac{63.14}{16.00}\).
3. Step 3: Determine the simplest whole number mole ratio by dividing both mole values by the smaller number of moles obtained in Step 2.
4. Step 4: If the mole ratio is not close to whole numbers, multiply both ratios by the smallest integer that converts them to whole numbers (e.g., 2, 3, 4, etc.).
5. Step 5: Write the empirical formula using the whole number mole ratios as subscripts for nitrogen and oxygen atoms, respectively.