Final answer:
The empirical formula for the compound with the molecular formula C₄H₈O₂ is CH₂O, which is choice (a).
Step-by-step explanation:
The student is asking to determine the empirical formula for the compound with the molecular formula C₄H₈O₂. The empirical formula represents the simplest whole-number ratio of the elements in a compound.
To find the empirical formula, we divide the subscripts of each element by the greatest common divisor. In this case, the greatest common divisor for the subscripts is 2.
Therefore, we divide each subscript by 2, leading to C₂ divided by 2 yields C, H₈ divided by 2 yields H₄, and O₂ divided by 2 yields O. This gives us the empirical formula CH₂O, which is choice (a).