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# How would you determine the molecular formula of C4H9?

Aug 6, 2018

Just to retire this question ... are you sure that it is correctly posed...?

#### Explanation:

${C}_{4} {H}_{9}$ is not the formula of anything you could put in a bottle. It is the radical of some butane derivative, i.e. ${C}_{4} {H}_{10}$..

And so we have (possibly) $\text{tert-butyl radical}$...${\left({H}_{3} C\right)}_{3} C \cdot$, the which is relatively long-lived...

On the other hand, you MIGHT have quoted an empirical formula of ${C}_{4} {H}_{9}$...to get the molecular formula, we need a measurement of the molecular mass...say we got a mass of $114.22 \cdot g \cdot m o {l}^{-} 1$...this would correspond to a molecular formula of ${C}_{8} {H}_{18}$...and this is a saturated formula...

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