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NEET UG 2026 » NEET UG Study Material » Chemistry » CHEMICAL FORMULA
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CHEMICAL FORMULA

We can forecast how metals will react using the reactivity series. A less reactive metal will be displaced from a complex by a more reactive metal. Rusting is a form of oxidation.A chemical formula is a phrase that specifies the number and type of atoms in a substance's molecule. The element symbols are used to identify the type of atom. A subscript after the element symbol indicates the number of atoms.

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INTRODUCTION:

A chemical formula is a technique of expressing information on the chemical quantities of atoms that make up a chemical compound or molecule utilizing chemical element signs, numbers, and other symbols like parentheses, dashes, brackets, commas, and plus (+) and minus () signs.

These are confined to a single typographical line of symbols, including subscripts and superscripts. A chemical formula isn’t the same as a chemical name, but it doesn’t have any words in it. A chemical formula may suggest some basic chemical structures, but it is not the same as a complete chemical structural formula. 

Chemical formulae are more limited in potency than chemical names & structural formulae, and can only fully specify the structure of the smallest molecules and chemical compounds.

Empirical equations are the simplest sorts of chemical formulae, and they employ letters and numbers to indicate the numeric proportion of atoms of every type. The simple number of each sort of atom are represented by molecular formulas, which contain no structural information. 

The empirical formula for glucose, for example, is CH2O (two times as many hydrogen atoms as carbon and oxygen), but the molecular formula is C6H12O6 (12 H atoms,6 carbon & oxygen atoms).

MOLECULAR FORMULA OR CONDENSED FORMULA:

Chemical formulae frequently use ways to suggest the structure of the molecule when the chemical compound of the formula consists of simple molecules. These equations are also referred to as molecular formulae or condensed formulae. 

The molecular formula for glucose is C6H12O6, rather than the glucose empirical formula of CH2O, because it enumerates the number of atoms to represent those in the molecule. Molecular chemical equations, with the exception of very simple compounds, lack structural information and are confusing.

A condensed formula is indeed a sort of chemical formula which can fully imply a valid structural formula for simple molecules. For example, the condensed chemical formula for ethanol is CH3CH2OH, and the condensed chemical formula for dimethyl ether is CH3OCH3. 

These 2 molecules have same empirical and molecular formulas (C2H6O), but the condensed equations presented can be used to distinguish them. These formulae are sufficient to depict the whole structure of these simple organic compounds.

EMPIRICAL FORMULA:

The empirical formula of any chemical is indeed a simple expression of a relative number of every type of atom or element ratio in the compound in chemistry. For ionic compounds like CaCl2 and macromolecules like SiO2, empirical formulae are the gold standard. 

Isomerism, structure, or the absolute number of atoms are not mentioned in an empirical formula. The procedure of elemental composition, a method of analytical methods used to assess the relative percentage composition of a pure chemical material by element, is referred to as empirical.

Hexane, for example, has the chemical formula C6H14, indicating that it has a 6 carbon and 14 hydrogen atom chain structure. Hexane, on the other hand, has the empirical formula C3H7. 

Similarly, the empirical formula of hydrogen peroxide, H2O2, is just HO, which represents a 1:1 ratio of constituent elements. The empirical formula of formaldehyde & acetic acid is CH2O. This is the chemical formula of formaldehyde, although acetic acid has twice as many atoms as formaldehyde.

MOLECULAR FORMULA:

The simple numbers of every sort of atom in a molecule of a molecular substance are represented by molecular formulae. They’re just like empirical formulae for compounds with only one atom of a specific type, but larger numbers elsewhere. 

One difference is that the empirical formula for glucose is CH2O (ratio 1:2:1), whereas the molecular formula is C6H12O6.  Both formulae for water are H2O. A molecular formula contains information of a molecule than just its empirical formula, but it is also more complex to determine.

A molecular formula specifies the no. of parts in a molecule and indicates if it is a binary, ternary, quaternary, or multi-element complex.

CONDENSED FORMULA:

The physical and chemical features and behavior of a molecule are frequently influenced by its connection. If the atoms are bonded differently or in different places, two molecules made up of the same number of the same type of atoms (i.e., isomers) can have radically distinct chemical and/or physical properties.

 A structural formula is important in these situations since it shows what atoms are bonded to which others. The approximate shape of a molecule can frequently be deduced from the connections.

The kinds and spatial configuration of bonds in such a simple chemical substance can be represented by a condensed chemical formula, but it does not always define isomers or complex structures. Ethane, for example, is made up of two carbon atoms that are single-bonded to one other, with three hydrogen atoms connected to each carbon atom. The molecular formula for this substance is CH3CH3. 

Because there is a double bond between the carbon atoms in ethylene (and each carbon only has two hydrogens), the chemical formula is CH2CH2. The fact that there is a double bond between the carbons is implied by the fact that carbon has a valence of four.

 However, writing H2C=CH2 or, less typically, H2C:CH2 is a more explicit technique. The two lines indicate that the atoms along either side of them are connected by a double bond.

A triple bond can be written with three lines (HCCH) or three sets of dots (HC:::CH), while a single line or set of dots can be used to denote a single bond if there is any doubt.

XANTHOPHYLL CHEMICAL FORMULA:

The primary accessory pigment is called xanthophyll. It is made up of C-40 terpenoid compounds, which are formed by condensation between isoprene units. Except for the inclusion of an oxygen atom, the chemical structures of xanthophyll and carotene (another accessory pigment) are nearly identical.  The chemical formula of xanthophyll is C40H56O2.

LAW OF COMPOSITION:

The constituents in every given chemical compound are always combined in the same proportion. This is known as the constant composition law.

As per law of constant composition, all samples of a chemical compound will be composed of the same components in the same proportions or ratios. Any water molecule, for example, is always composed of two H & 1 oxygen atoms in a ratio of 2:1. 

When we look at the total mass of oxygen and hydrogen in a molecule of water, we can see that oxygen accounts for 94% of the mass of the molecule and hydrogen accounts for the remaining 6%. Any water will have the same mass proportion.

NON-STOICHIOMETRIC CHEMICAL FORMULA:

In most chemical equations, each element is represented by an integer. Non-stoichiometric compounds, on the other hand, are a type of compound that cannot be expressed by tiny integers. A formula like Fe0.95O might be stated in decimal fractions, or it could include a variable portion indicated by a letter, like Fe1–xO, where x is generally significantly less than 1.

CONCLUSION:

A compound is a molecule consisting of two or more components in a certain proportion. The number of atoms in each element in a compound is determined by its chemical formula. It includes symbols for the atoms of the elements in the compound, as well as the number of each type consists of subscripts.

Chemical formulas come in a variety of forms, each of which provides us with different information about a chemical component. Molecular, empirical, structural, and condensed structural formulas are examples of several types of chemical formulas.

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What is a simple definition of a chemical formula?

Ans: A chemical formula is a phrase that specifies the number and type of atoms in a substance̵...Read full

How do chemical formulas come to be?

Ans : The element name is used to identify the first componen...Read full

n chemistry, how many formulas are all there?

Ans : An empirical formula, molecular formula, and structural...Read full

What's the distinction between a molecular formula and a chemical formula?

Ans : A molecular formula has two or more atoms bonded together, whereas a chemical formula can only refer to one at...Read full

What role does the chemical formula play?

Ans: The name of the substance is represented by a chemical formula. Chemical formulae assist us in providing crucia...Read full

Ans: A chemical formula is a phrase that specifies the number and type of atoms in a substance’s molecule. The element symbols are used to identify the type of atom. A subscript after the element symbol indicates the number of atoms.

Ans : The element name is used to identify the first component in the formula. The -ide suffix is added to the name of the second component, which is derived from the name of the element stem. A numerical prefix scheme is used to determine the number of atoms in a molecule.

Ans : An empirical formula, molecular formula, and structural formula are the three types of chemical formulas.

Ans : A molecular formula has two or more atoms bonded together, whereas a chemical formula can only refer to one atom. There are similarities in that they are all elements with the same chemical symbols.

Ans: The name of the substance is represented by a chemical formula. Chemical formulae assist us in providing crucial information about an element’s or compound’s chemical formation. It also aids us in determining the total no. of atoms in an element and the number of molecules in a given material.

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