Multiple Choice 1 point Determine the Empiric Formula for a compound that is 79.46% Pand 20.54% C. PC_(4) P_(3)C_(2) P_(2)C_(3) PC Clear my selection

To determine the empirical formula for a compound that is $79.46\%$ P and $20.54\%$ C, we need to convert these percentages into moles.<br /><br />1. Assume we have 100 grams of the compound. This means we have 79.46 grams of P and 20.54 grams of C.<br /><br />2. Calculate the moles of each element:<br /> - Moles of P: $\frac{79.46 \text{ g}}{30.97 \text{ g/mol}} \approx 2.56 \text{ moles}$<br /> - Moles of C: $\frac{20.54 \text{ g}}{12.01 \text{ g/mol}} \approx 1.71 \text{ moles}$<br /><br />3. Determine the simplest whole number ratio of moles:<br /> - Divide each mole value by the smallest number of moles (1.71):<br /> - P: $\frac{2.56}{1.71} \approx 1.49$<br /> - C: $\frac{1.71}{1.71} = 1$<br /><br />4. Since the ratio is not a whole number, multiply both ratios by a factor to get whole numbers. In this case, multiplying by 2 gives:<br /> - P: $1.49 \times 2 \approx 3$<br /> - C: $1 \times 2 = 2$<br /><br />Therefore, the empirical formula for the compound is $P_{3}C_{2}$.<br /><br />So, the correct answer is:<br />$P_{3}C_{2}$