Chemistry › Section B · Atoms, molecules, and ions › Topic B.3

Chemical formulas

A chemical formula packs the make-up of a substance into a few letters and numbers. Learning to read formulas exactly, and to tell an empirical formula from a molecular one, is the groundwork for every calculation in chemistry.

In this topic

  • Formulas as chemistry's shorthand
  • Reading a formula exactly
  • Elements that come as molecules
  • Structural formulas and models
  • Empirical formulas
  • Worked example: finding empirical formulas
  • From empirical to molecular formula
  • Worked example: finding a molecular formula
  • Isomers: same formula, different molecule
  • Common mistakes to avoid
  • Key takeaways

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