| Dictionary, Encyclopedia and Thesaurus - The Free Dictionary 3,591,044,504 visitors served. |
Dictionary/ thesaurus | Medical dictionary | Legal dictionary | Financial dictionary | Acronyms | Idioms | Encyclopedia | Wikipedia encyclopedia | ? |
chemical formula |
Also found in: Dictionary/thesaurus, Medical, Legal, Wikipedia, Hutchinson | 0.01 sec. |
|
|
chemical formulaExpression of the composition or structure of a chemical compound. Formulas for molecules use chemical symbols with subscript numbers to show the number of atoms of each element: O2 for molecular oxygen, O3 for ozone, CH4 for methane, C6H6 for benzene. Parentheses may enclose atoms that act as a group. General formulas show the proportions of atoms in members of a class (e.g., CnH2n+ 2 for alkanes). If the substance does not exist as molecules (see ionic bond), empirical formulas show the relative proportions of the constituents (e.g., NaCl for sodium chloride). Structural formulas show bonds (see bonding) between atoms in a molecule as short lines between symbols; they are particularly useful for showing how isomers differ. A projection formula also indicates the three-dimensional arrangement of the atoms (see Fischer projection; stereochemistry). chemical formula [′kem·i·kəl ′fȯr·myə·lə] (chemistry) A notation utilizing chemical symbols and numbers to indicate the chemical composition of a pure substance; examples are CH4for methane and HCl for hydrogen chloride. How to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit webmaster's page for free fun content. |
|
| Encyclopedia |
| Free Tools: |
For surfers:
Free toolbar & extensions |
Word of the Day |
Help
For webmasters: Free content | Linking | Lookup box | Double-click lookup | Partner with us |
|---|