1. Determine the moles of each element:
* Nitrogen (N):
* Molar mass of N = 14.01 g/mol
* Moles of N = 6.08 g / 14.01 g/mol = 0.434 mol
* Oxygen (O):
* Molar mass of O = 16.00 g/mol
* Moles of O = 13.92 g / 16.00 g/mol = 0.870 mol
2. Find the mole ratio:
* Divide the moles of each element by the smallest number of moles (0.434 mol in this case):
* N: 0.434 mol / 0.434 mol = 1
* O: 0.870 mol / 0.434 mol ≈ 2
3. Determine the empirical formula:
* The mole ratio indicates that the compound has 1 nitrogen atom for every 2 oxygen atoms.
* The empirical formula is N₂O₄, which is dinitrogen tetroxide.
Important Note: Dinitrogen tetroxide is a highly reactive compound. In the real world, it's likely to be in equilibrium with nitrogen dioxide (NO₂).