When 3.0 g of an organic compound with a molar mass of 150 g mol ⁻¹ is completely burnt in excess oxygen, 5.28 g of CO ₂ is produced. The number of carbon atoms present in one molecule of the compound is ________.

Step-by-step solution

Moles of the organic compound = Mass Molar mass = 3.0 150 = 0.02 mol Moles of CO ₂ produced = 5.28 44 = 0.12 mol Applying the Principle of Atomic Conservation (POAC) on carbon, all the carbon from the compound is converted into CO ₂ . Therefore, moles of carbon in the sample = 0.12 mol Number of moles of carbon per mole of the compound = 0.12 0.02 = 6 Thus, there are 6 carbon atoms in one molecule of the compound. Answer: 6