Chemical formula

:See also chemical symbol.

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A chemical formula (also called molecular formula) is a concise way of expressing information about the atoms that constitute a particular chemical compound. It identifies each type of element by its chemical symbol and identifies the number of atoms of such element to be found in each discrete molecule of that compound. The number of atoms (if greater than one) is indicated as a subscript. For non-molecular substances the subscripts indicate the ratio of elements in the empirical formula. Chemical formula used for a series of compounds that differ from each other by a constant unit is called general formula. Such a series is called the homologous series, while its members are called homologs.

Related Topics:
Atom - Chemical compound - Element - Chemical symbol - Molecule - Subscript - Homologous series

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