Lewis Weston
03/02/2023 · Senior High School

An unknown compound has the following chemical formula: where \( x \) stands for a whole number. Measurements also show that a certain sample of the unknown compound contains 8.2 mol of chlorine and 1.65 mol of phosphorus. Write the complete chemical formula for the unknown compound.

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To determine the complete chemical formula for the unknown compound, we need to find the ratio of the moles of chlorine (Cl) to the moles of phosphorus (P) in the sample. Given: - Moles of chlorine (Cl) = 8.2 mol - Moles of phosphorus (P) = 1.65 mol Next, we calculate the ratio of Cl to P: \[ \text{Ratio of Cl to P} = \frac{\text{moles of Cl}}{\text{moles of P}} = \frac{8.2}{1.65} \] Calculating this gives: \[ \frac{8.2}{1.65} \approx 4.97 \] This ratio is approximately 5. To express this as whole numbers, we can round it to the nearest whole number, which is 5. Thus, the ratio of chlorine to phosphorus in the compound is approximately 5:1. Therefore, the chemical formula for the unknown compound can be written as: \[ \text{PCl}_5 \] So, the complete chemical formula for the unknown compound is \( \text{PCl}_5 \).

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The chemical formula for the unknown compound is \( \text{PCl}_5 \).
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