A carbon compound containing carbon and oxygen has approximate molar mass equal to 290. On analysis it is found to contain 50% by mass of each element. Therefore, molecular formula of the compound is:

Element:                            C      O  % by mass:                         50    50 Ratio by no. of atoms:     5012    5016Simplest ratio by no of atoms : 4 : 3.'. Empirical formula = C4O3And let molecular formula be (C4O3), ∴ 96n=290 or  n=29096≃3.'. Molecular formula is C12O9