Question

What is the empirical formula of a compound that has a carbon-to-hydrogen ratio of 2 to 6?

Answer 1

It's asking you what empirical formula means.

An empirical formula is a chemical formula containing the lowest-reduced subscripts. You can think of it as a fraction:

`"6 H"/"2 C"xx"1/2"/"1/2" -> "3 H"/"1 C"`

Therefore, `"C"_2"H"_6` reduces to `\mathbf("CH"_3)`. This is not actually a very stable compound, but it's real.

A methyl radical has the structural formula `cdot"CH"_3` (so its carbon has one nonbonding valence electron). It is neutral.