- Each element is represented by its own chemical symbol.
- In an element, the chemical formula represents the atoms in the molecule.
- The chemical formula tells us:
- the types of atoms or ions in the compound,
- the number of atoms or ions in the compound,
- For example, the chemical formula for ethene is C2H4. This shows that ethene is the result of the combination of the elements carbon and hydrogen, and there are 2 carbon atoms and 4 hydrogen atoms in each molecule of ethene.
- Generally, chemical formula can be divided into
- Empirical formula
- Molecular formula
- The empirical formula of a substance is the chemical formula that gives the simplest whole-number ratio of atoms of each element in the substance.
- The molecular formula of a substance is the chemical formula that gives the actual number of atoms of each element in the substance.
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