A 25.002g sample of a compound that contains carbon, and hydrogen, is subjected to a complete combustion reaction. Analysis of the products of the reaction produced 76.392g of carbon dioxide and 37.504g of water. Determine the empirical formula for the hydrocarbon sample.

To determine the empirical formula for the hydrocarbon sample, we need to find the ratio of the elements present in the compound.

First, we need to find the moles of carbon dioxide (CO2) and water (H2O) produced.

Moles of CO2 = mass / molar mass of CO2
Molar mass of CO2 = 12.01 g/mol (carbon) + 2(16.00 g/mol) (oxygen)
Moles of CO2 = 76.392 g / (12.01 g/mol + 2(16.00 g/mol))

Moles of H2O = mass / molar mass of H2O
Molar mass of H2O = 2(1.01 g/mol) (hydrogen) + 16.00 g/mol (oxygen)
Moles of H2O = 37.504 g / (2(1.01 g/mol) + 16.00 g/mol)

Next, we calculate the moles of carbon (C) and hydrogen (H) in the original compound.

Moles of carbon = moles of CO2
Moles of hydrogen = 2 * moles of H2O (since there are 2 moles of hydrogen in each water molecule)

Now, we can calculate the empirical formula by dividing the number of moles by the smallest number of moles.

Empirical formula = C: H

And that's how we determine the empirical formula for the hydrocarbon sample!