Chemical formulas

Front

What is a chemical formula?

Back

A chemical formula is a way of expressing information about the atoms that constitute a particular chemical compound, using symbols for the elements and numbers to indicate the quantity of each element.

Front

What does the subscript in a chemical formula indicate?

Back

The subscript in a chemical formula indicates the number of atoms of the element that are present in the molecule. For example, in H2O, the '2' indicates there are two hydrogen atoms.

Front

What is the empirical formula of a compound?

Back

The empirical formula of a compound is the simplest whole-number ratio of the elements in that compound.

Front

What is the molecular formula of a compound?

Back

The molecular formula of a compound shows the actual number of atoms of each element in a molecule of the compound.

Front

What is the chemical symbol for oxygen?

Back

The chemical symbol for oxygen is O.

Front

How many atoms of carbon are in the molecule C6H12O6?

Back

There are 6 atoms of carbon in the molecule C6H12O6.

Front

What is the chemical symbol for sodium?

Back

The chemical symbol for sodium is Na.

Front

How many different elements are in the compound C4H10?

Back

There are 2 different elements in the compound C4H10: carbon (C) and hydrogen (H).

Front

What is the chemical formula for sulfuric acid?

Back

The chemical formula for sulfuric acid is H2SO4.

Front

What does the prefix 'di-' in a chemical name indicate?

Back

The prefix 'di-' indicates that there are two atoms of that element in the compound.