A sample of a compound P containing only carbon and hydrogen was burned in excess oxygen. The combustion produced 8.8 g of CO2 and 1.8 g of H2O. Determine the empirical formula of P.

To solve this problem, we need to address several parts as requested by the manager.

Part 1: Determine the formulae of P

First, we will determine the empirical formula of P from the combustion data.
Given:
Mass of CO$_2$ produced = $8.8 \text{ g}$
Mass of H$_2$O produced = $1.8 \text{ g}$

Step 1: Calculate moles of Carbon (C) and Hydrogen (H).
The molar mass of CO$_2$ is $12.01 + 2 \times 16.00 = 44.01 \text{ g/mol}$.
The molar mass of H$_2$O is $2 \times 1.008