Question

how would under titration affect the empirical formula of magnesuim hydroxide

Answer 1

"Under titration" refers to cases when the equivalence point is not reached, which means that the amount of titrant added is lower than it should have been. This problems leads to errors by defect, in which the calculated concentration of the compound being titrated is lower than the real one. If we are titrating magnesium hydroxide, what we are doing is titrating the OH^- with an acid. If we under-titrated, we would obtain a concentration value for OH^- that is lower than the real concentration in the sample. Which means that, when we write the empirical formula of the compound, we will have a defect in (OH); that is: there will be less than there should be.