What is the molecular formula of a compound whose empirical formula is CH2O and molar mass is 180? (H = 1, C = 12, O = 16)

The empirical formula of a compound gives the simplest whole number ratio of the atoms present in it. To determine the molecular formula of a compound from its empirical formula and molar mass, we need to find the actual number of atoms of each element in the molecule. In this case, the empirical formula of the compound is CH₂O, which has a molar mass of 30 (12 for carbon, 2 for hydrogen, and 16 for oxygen). However, the molar mass of the compound is given as 180 g/mol, which is six times larger than the empirical formula. To find the molecular formula, we need to multiply the empirical formula by a whole number n that gives the actual number of atoms of each element in the molecule. Since the molar mass of the compound is six times larger than its empirical formula, we can assume that the molecular formula is six times larger than the empirical formula. Therefore, we can write: Empirical formula mass = 30 g/mol Molecular formula mass = 6 x empirical formula mass = 6 x 30 g/mol = 180 g/mol The molecular formula will have 6 times the number of atoms as the empirical formula. Thus, the molecular formula of the compound is C₆H₁₂O₆