If a molecule with an empirical formula of CH_(2)O has a molar mass of 60, what is the molecular formula? C_(2)H_(4)O C_(4)H_(8)O_(4) C_(2)H_(4)O_(2) CH_(4)O_(2)

To determine the molecular formula of a molecule with an empirical formula of $CH_{2}O$ and a molar mass of 60, we need to find the ratio of the molar mass of the empirical formula to the given molar mass.<br /><br />The molar mass of the empirical formula $CH_{2}O$ is calculated as follows:<br />- Carbon (C): 12.01 g/mol<br />- Hydrogen (H): 1.01 g/mol (since there are 2 hydrogen atoms, multiply by 2)<br />- Oxygen (O): 16.00 g/mol<br /><br />So, the molar mass of $CH_{2}O$ is:<br />\[ 12.01 + (2 \times 1.01) + 16.00 = 30.03 \, \text{g/mol} \]<br /><br />Next, we divide the given molar mass (60 g/mol) by the molar mass of the empirical formula (30.03 g/mol):<br />\[ \frac{60}{30.03} \approx 2 \]<br /><br />This indicates that the molecular formula is twice the empirical formula. Therefore, we multiply each subscript in the empirical formula by 2:<br />\[ (CH_{2}O) \times 2 = C_{2}H_{4}O_{2} \]<br /><br />Thus, the molecular formula is:<br />\[ \boxed{C_{2}H_{4}O_{2}} \]