Moles of Oxygen in Methyl Tert-Butyl Ether Sample

How many moles of oxygen are in a sample of methyl tert-butyl ether?

A chemical engineer has determined by measurements that there are moles of carbon in a sample of methyl tert-butyl ether.

Answer:

To determine the number of moles of oxygen in a sample of methyl tert-butyl ether, count the number of oxygen atoms in the formula and compare it to the number of carbon atoms.

The chemical formula for methyl tert-butyl ether is CH3OC(CH3)3. To determine the moles of oxygen in the sample, we need to count the number of oxygen atoms in the formula. There is one oxygen atom represented by the 'O' in the formula. Since the formula specifies the ratio of atoms, we can say that for every 1 carbon atom, there is 1 oxygen atom. Therefore, if there are x moles of carbon, there are also x moles of oxygen in the sample.

So, the number of moles of oxygen in the sample is the same as the number of moles of carbon in the sample.