What is the empirical formula for benzene, C₆H₆?

The empirical formula represents the simplest whole-number ratio of the elements present in a compound. For benzene, which has the molecular formula C₆H₆, we can analyze its composition to find its empirical formula.

Benzene consists of 6 carbon atoms and 6 hydrogen atoms, which can be simplified to the ratio of 1:1 when you divide both the number of carbon and hydrogen atoms by 6. Therefore, the empirical formula for benzene is CH.

This means that CH accurately reflects the simplest ratio of carbon to hydrogen in benzene, which is fundamental for understanding how molecules are represented in chemistry. In contrast, other choices like CH₃ and C₂H₆ do not represent the simplest ratio of the elements in benzene, and the molecular formula C₆H₆ is simply the full representation of the compound, not in its simplest form. Thus, CH is indeed the correct answer.