What is the empirical formula of a molecule that is 40% Oxygen and 60% Magnesium? Mg_(2)O Mg_(3)O MgO_(2) MgO

To determine the empirical formula of a compound given the percentage composition, we need to follow these steps:1. **Convert the percentage composition to grams**: - Assume we have 100 grams of the compound. - Oxygen: of 100 grams = 40 grams - Magnesium: of 100 grams = 60 grams2. **Convert grams to moles**: - Use the molar masses of the elements: - Molar mass of Oxygen (O) = 16.00 g/mol - Molar mass of Magnesium (Mg) = 24.31 g/mol Calculate the moles of each element: - Moles of Oxygen: - Moles of Magnesium: 3. **Determine the simplest whole number ratio**: - Divide each mole value by the smallest number of moles calculated: - Ratio for Oxygen: - Ratio for Magnesium: 4. **Write the empirical formula**: - The ratio of Magnesium to Oxygen is approximately 1:1.Therefore, the empirical formula of the molecule is .So, the correct answer is: