What is the ratio of empirical formula mass to molecular formula mass of benzene?

Options

A. 1:6
B. 2:3
C. 6:1
D. 3:2

Answer

To find the ratio of empirical formula mass to molecular formula mass of benzene, we can follow these steps:

### Step 1: Determine the molecular formula of benzene
The molecular formula of benzene is C₆H₆.

### Step 2: Calculate the molecular formula mass of benzene
To calculate the molecular formula mass, we need to find the atomic masses of carbon (C) and hydrogen (H):
- Atomic mass of Carbon (C) = 12 g/mol
- Atomic mass of Hydrogen (H) = 1 g/mol

Now, we can calculate the molecular mass:
- Molecular mass of C₆H₆ = (6 × 12) + (6 × 1)
- Molecular mass of C₆H₆ = 72 + 6 = 78 g/mol

### Step 3: Determine the empirical formula of benzene
The empirical formula represents the simplest whole-number ratio of the elements in a compound. For benzene (C₆H₆), the ratio of carbon to hydrogen is 1:1 (since 6:6 simplifies to 1:1). Therefore, the empirical formula is CH.

### Step 4: Calculate the empirical formula mass
Now, we calculate the empirical formula mass for CH:
- Empirical mass of CH = (1 × 12) + (1 × 1)
- Empirical mass of CH = 12 + 1 = 13 g/mol

### Step 5: Calculate the ratio of empirical formula mass to molecular formula mass
Now we can find the ratio:
- Ratio = Empirical formula mass / Molecular formula mass
- Ratio = 13 g/mol / 78 g/mol
- Ratio = 1 / 6

### Final Answer
The ratio of empirical formula mass to molecular formula mass of benzene is **1:6**.

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