Final answer:
Acetic acid (CH3COOH) and formic acid (HCOOH) both have the empirical formula CH2O, while the other compound listed does not. Therefore, the compounds with the empirical formula CH2O are Acetic acid and Formic acid.
Step-by-step explanation:
The empirical formula of a compound represents the simplest whole-number ratio of the elements within the compound. If we look at the options given:
A) CH3COOH: Acetic acid's molecular formula is C2H4O2. By determining the simplest ratio, which is dividing by the greatest common divisor (2 in this case), we arrive at the empirical formula CH2O.
B) C3H7COOH: Without simplification, the formula would hint at an empirical formula different from CH2O. However, upon closer examination, it does not simplify down to CH2O.
C) HCOOH: Formic acid's molecular formula simplifies directly to the empirical formula CH2O without any reduction because it is already in its simplest form.
D) All of the above: Considering the above analyses, not all compounds listed have the empirical formula CH2O, therefore this option is incorrect.
In conclusion, both A) Acetic acid and C) Formic acid have the empirical formula CH2O.