Question: how to calculate the empirical formula of a hydrocarbon?
Answer: The first step here is to determine the mass of C in CO2 and the mass of H in H2O. This is done by dividing the atomic mass by the molecular mass and then multiplying by the mass of compound produced. We therefore have a ratio of 1 carbon atom to 3 hydrogen atoms, thus the empirical formula for this hydrocarbon is CH3.