Final answer:
The empirical formula for the compound H₂O₂ is itself H₂O₂ since it already represents the simplest whole-number ratio. None of the other options can be empirical formulas as they can be simplified to a lower ratio. The orrect answer is b) H₂O₂.
Step-by-step explanation:
The empirical formula of a compound represents the simplest whole-number ratio of the elements in the compound. Among the given options, H₂O₂ is the compound with its empirical formula as the options provided.
It cannot be simplified further since the formula already shows the smallest ratio of hydrogen to oxygen, which is 1:1.
Other compounds like C₈H₁₀N₄O₂ (caffeine), C₁₂H₂₂O₁₁ (sucrose), C₂H₄O₂ (acetic acid), C₆H₈O₆ (ascorbic acid), and others have empirical formulas like C₄H₅, C₁H₂O, CH₂O respectively, that differ from their molecular formulas.
The empirical formula of a compound represents the simplest whole-number ratio of the atoms present in a molecule. It doesn't provide the exact number of atoms but shows their relative proportions.