Which of the following pairs of compounds have the same empirical formula?

• A. C2H4 and C3H6
• B. C2H2 and C4H10
• C. C3H8 and C4H8
• D. C2H6 and C3H8

Answer: (A)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Recall that the empirical formula represents the simplest whole-number ratio of atoms of each element in a compound.
2. For each compound, determine the ratio of carbon (C) atoms to hydrogen (H) atoms and simplify it to the smallest whole numbers.
3. For example, for C2H4, divide both subscripts by 2 to get the empirical formula CH2.
4. Do the same for C3H6: divide both subscripts by 3 to get CH2, which matches the empirical formula of C2H4.
5. Compare the simplified ratios for the other pairs to see if their empirical formulas match or differ.