In an experiment, a sample of an unknown, pure gaseous hydrocarbon was analyzed. Results showed that thesample contained 6.000 g of carbon and 1.344 g of hydrogen.(a) Determine the empirical formula of the hydrocarbon.

To determine the empirical formula of the hydrocarbon, follow these steps:

1. First, we need to find the number of moles of each element in the sample. We do this by dividing the mass of each element by its atomic mass. The atomic mass of carbon (C) is approximately 12.01 g/mol and the atomic mass of hydrogen (H) is approximately 1.01 g/mol.

   Moles of C = 6.000 g / 12.01 g/mol = 0.4996 mol Moles of H = 1.344 g / 1.01 g/mol = 1.33 mol

2. Next, we divide each of these values by the smallest number of moles calculated in step 1 to get the ratio of atoms in the molecule. In this case, the smallest number of moles is 0.4996 mol (C).

   Ratio of C atoms = 0.4996 mol / 0.4996 mol = 1 Ratio of H atoms = 1.33 mol / 0.4996 mol = 2.66

3. Since empirical formulas represent the simplest whole number ratio of atoms in a compound, we round the ratio of H atoms to the nearest whole number, which gives us 3.

So, the empirical formula of the hydrocarbon is CH3.