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Chemical Formula

Definitions

A chemical formula expresses the exact composition of a molecule or substance using the chemical abbreviations of the chemical elements. A chemical element is a substance that can not be separated into simpler substances by chemical means. There are approximately 114 known chemical elements, 83 of which are naturally-occurring. Common examples include carbon, hydrogen, sodium and iron. The smallest basic unit of a chemical element that can enter into chemical reactions is called an atom.

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Additional Info

There are several different ways of expressing chemical formulas:
• Molecular formulas use the exact number of atoms of each element present in the smallest unit of the substance. For example, benzene is a molecule composed of six carbon and six hydrogen atoms and has a formula C₆H₆.
  Note: two different materials may share the same molecular formula. For example, both acetone (also called 2-propanone) and propionaldehyde (also called propanal) share the same molecular formula of C₃H₆O, but have different arrangements of atoms in the molecules. These are called structural isomers. Structural isomers usually have different chemical and physical properties:

  

• Empirical formulas use the simplest (lowest) whole-number ratio of the elements that are present. For example, the molecular formula of benzene is C₆H₆, but the empirical formula is simply CH.
  Note: An even larger number of compounds can share the same empirical formula. For example, acetylene (a gas) has the molecular formula C₂H₂, but has the same empirical formula as benzene (a liquid), CH.

• Structural formulas are a version of a molecular formulas in which the connectivity of the atoms is implied. For example, acetone, which has a molecular formula of C₃H₆O, can also be expressed as (CH₃)CO(CH₃) or (CH₃)₂CO. For convenience, chemists often sketch these. Those shown below for acetone all express the same structure:

  

  Finally, while you probably won't see these on MSDS's, chemists sometimes use structural models to represent the arrangement of atoms in a molecule (the molecular stucture). Again, these are all equivalent ways of drawing the structure of acetone:

  

MSDS Relevance

Recognize that a molecular formula is not necessarily a unique identifier for a chemical substance. Do not rely on molecular formulas alone to label or identify a substance. For example, the molecular formulas of glucose (a form of sugar) and 1,3-dihydroxy-2-propanone dimer (an eye and skin irritant) are identical, C₆H₁₂O₆.

Chemical names are not always reliable because a common chemical may be known by several different names. For example, methylene chloride, dichloromethane and methylenebichloride are common names for the same substance, CH₂Cl₂. If you need a unique identifier, use the CAS Registry Number as well as molecular formula and name.

Further Reading Visit WebElements for a complete list of the chemical elements, their properties and a whole lot more! Search for chemical physical data by chemical formula in the NIST Chemistry WebBook. ChemBioFinder by CambridgeSoft lets you search for information by chemical formula, name, and more. Free registration required. Abbreviations of Chemical Compounds at the U of Berling converts chemical acronyms into chemical names and structural/chemical formulas. ChemIDplus Advanced at the National Library of Medicine allows one to search for toxicity and physcial data by chemical formula, structure, name, and more on over 139,000 records. WolframAlpha is a computational search engine that can return all kinds of chemical data, including manipulations and explanations of chemical formulas. See also: CAS Registry Number, mole. Additional definitions from Google and OneLook.

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Disclaimer: The information contained herein is believed to be true and accurate, however ILPI makes no guarantees concerning the veracity of any statement. Use of any information on this page is at the reader's own risk. ILPI strongly encourages the reader to consult the appropriate local, state and federal agencies concerning the matters discussed herein.