Final answer:
The empirical formula for the molecular formula C5H12O remains C5H12O because there are no common factors for the number of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen atoms, so the simplest whole-number ratio of atoms is already provided.
Step-by-step explanation:
To determine the empirical formula for the molecular formula C5H12O, we need to find the simplest whole-number ratio of atoms within the compound. We'll divide the number of each type of atom by the greatest common divisor of the numbers of atoms, which in this case is 1, as there are no common factors other than 1 for 5, 12, and 1. Thus, the empirical formula of C5H12O remains the same since the atomic ratio cannot be simplified any further.