A combustion analysis of a 0.00134g sample (CxHy) of a hydrocarbon yields 0.00375g of CO2 and 0.00164g of H2O. What is the empirical formula of the hydrocarbon?

To find the empirical formula of the hydrocarbon, we need to calculate the ratio of carbon to hydrogen in the compound.

1. Start by calculating the moles of CO2. To do this, divide the mass of CO2 by its molar mass. The molar mass of CO2 is 44.01 g/mol.
moles of CO2 = mass of CO2 / molar mass of CO2
moles of CO2 = 0.00375 g / 44.01 g/mol

2. Next, calculate the moles of H2O. Divide the mass of H2O by its molar mass. The molar mass of H2O is 18.02 g/mol.
moles of H2O = mass of H2O / molar mass of H2O
moles of H2O = 0.00164 g / 18.02 g/mol

3. Convert the moles of CO2 and H2O to the simplest whole number ratio by dividing both values by the smaller one. This will give us the ratio of carbon to hydrogen atoms in the compound.
ratio of carbon to hydrogen = moles of CO2 / moles of H2O

4. Now, calculate the empirical formula by assuming that there are 1 carbon atom for every x hydrogen atoms. The empirical formula is always written in its simplest ratio.
Empirical formula: CxHy

Let's calculate the empirical formula using the data given:
moles of CO2 = 0.00375 g / 44.01 g/mol = 0.000085
moles of H2O = 0.00164 g / 18.02 g/mol = 0.000091

ratio of carbon to hydrogen = 0.000085 / 0.000091
≈ 0.934

Since we need to express the empirical formula as a whole number ratio, you can multiply the ratio by a common factor to bring the numbers close to whole numbers.
In this case, multiplying by 4 gives us:
C4H3

Therefore, the empirical formula of the hydrocarbon is C4H3.