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A compound containing only potassium and chlorine has a mass of 74.55 grams. When this compound was analyzed, it was found to have 37.43 grams of potassium and 37.12 grams of chlorine. Determine the empirical and molecular formulas of this compound.

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To determine the empirical formula of the compound, we need to find the mole ratio of potassium  K  to chlorine  Cl .First, we need to find the moles of each element:1. Moles of potassium  K :Potassium has a molar mass of 39.10 g/mol.Moles of K = mass of K / molar mass of KMoles of K = 37.43 g / 39.10 g/mol = 0.957 moles2. Moles of chlorine  Cl :Chlorine has a molar mass of 35.45 g/mol.Moles of Cl = mass of Cl / molar mass of ClMoles of Cl = 37.12 g / 35.45 g/mol = 1.047 molesNow, we need to find the mole ratio of K to Cl:Mole ratio of K:Cl = moles of K / moles of ClMole ratio of K:Cl = 0.957 / 1.047  1:1Since the mole ratio is approximately 1:1, the empirical formula of the compound is KCl.To find the molecular formula, we need to determine the molar mass of the compound:Molar mass of KCl = molar mass of K + molar mass of ClMolar mass of KCl = 39.10 g/mol + 35.45 g/mol = 74.55 g/molSince the molar mass of the compound  74.55 g/mol  is equal to the molar mass of the empirical formula  KCl , the molecular formula is also KCl.

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