CHEMICAL FORMULA

The chemical formula of a compound is a symbolic representation of its chemical composition.

Chemical formulae provide insight into the elements that constitute the molecules of a compound
and also the ratio in which the atoms of these elements combine to form such molecules. For
example, the chemical formula of water, which is H2O, suggests that two hydrogen atoms combine
with one oxygen atom to form one molecule of water.

Importance of Chemical Formulae

 Chemical formulae provide insight into the chemical composition of a compound.

 They also represent the ratios in which the constituent elements combine to form the
compound.
 The chemical formula of a compound is crucial while representing it in a chemical equation.
 Chemical formulae can also be employed to represent ions, free radicals and other
chemical species.

Types of Chemical Formulae

While the term ‘chemical formula’ typically refers to the molecular formula of a compound (which
denotes the total number of atoms of each constituent element in one molecule of the compound),
the compositions of chemical compounds can be expressed in several ways, as listed in this
subsection.

Molecular Formula:

The molecular formula provides insight into the number of elements present in a compound. In
molecular formulae, the elements are denoted by their respective symbols (as in the periodic table)
and the number of atoms of each element in the molecule is written in subscript. For example- the
molecular formula for glucose is C6H12O6.

Empirical Formula:

The empirical formula of a chemical compound represents the ratio of the elements present in that
compound. Empirical formulae are usually obtained based on the analysis of experimental data.
The empirical formula for glucose is CH2O. Empirical Formulae can be derived from the molecular
formulae.

Structural Formula:

As the name suggests, the structural formula of a chemical compound provides insight into the
arrangement of the atoms in the molecule.