Name a compound whose empirical formula and molecular formula are equal.

Answer

To solve the question of naming a compound whose empirical formula and molecular formula are equal, we can follow these steps:

### Step 1: Understand the Definitions
- **Empirical Formula**: This is the simplest whole-number ratio of atoms of each element in a compound.
- **Molecular Formula**: This shows the actual number of atoms of each element in a molecule of the compound.

### Step 2: Identify a Compound
We need to find a compound where both the empirical and molecular formulas are the same.

### Step 3: Example of a Compound
One common example of such a compound is **methane**.

### Step 4: Write the Molecular Formula
The molecular formula of methane is:
- **Molecular Formula**: CH₄

### Step 5: Calculate the Empirical Formula
To find the empirical formula, we look at the ratio of the atoms in the molecular formula:
- There is 1 carbon (C) atom and 4 hydrogen (H) atoms in methane.
- The ratio of carbon to hydrogen is 1:4.

### Step 6: Determine the Simplest Ratio
Since the ratio of carbon to hydrogen (1:4) is already in its simplest form, the empirical formula is:
- **Empirical Formula**: CH₄

### Step 7: Conclusion
Since the empirical formula (CH₄) and the molecular formula (CH₄) are the same, we conclude that methane is a compound whose empirical formula and molecular formula are equal.

### Final Answer
The compound whose empirical formula and molecular formula are equal is **methane (CH₄)**.

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