chemical formula

A chemical formula is a way of presenting information about the chemical proportions of atoms that constitute a particular chemical compound or molecule, using chemical element symbols, numbers, and sometimes also other symbols, such as parentheses, dashes, brackets, commas and plus (+) and minus (−) signs. These are limited to a single typographic line of symbols, which may include subscripts and superscripts. A chemical formula is not a chemical name, and it contains no words. Although a chemical formula may imply certain simple chemical structures, it is not the same as a full chemical structural formula. Chemical formulae can fully specify the structure of only the simplest of molecules and chemical substances, and are generally more limited in power than chemical names and structural formulae.

Al2(SO4)3

Aluminium sulfate has the chemical formula Al2(SO4)3. The form of aluminium sulfate hexadecahydrate is Al2(SO4)3·16H2O.

 

Structural formula for butane. Examples of other chemical formulae for butane are the empirical formula C2H5, the molecular formula C4H10 and the condensed (or semi-structural) formula CH3CH2CH2CH3.

The simplest types of chemical formulae are called empirical formulas, which use letters and numbers indicating the numerical proportions of atoms of each type. Molecular formulae indicate the simple numbers of each type of atom in a molecule, with no information on structure. For example, the empirical formula for glucose is CH2O (twice as many hydrogen atoms as carbon and oxygen), while its molecular formula is C6H12O6 (12 hydrogen atoms, six carbon and oxygen atoms).

Sometimes a chemical formula is complicated by being written as a condensed formula (or condensed molecular formula, occasionally called a "semi-structural formula"), which conveys additional information about the particular ways in which the atoms are chemically bonded together, either in covalent bonds, ionic bonds, or various combinations of these types. This is possible if the relevant bonding is easy to show in one dimension. An example is the condensed molecular/chemical formula for ethanol, which is CH3-CH2-OH or CH3CH2OH. However, even a condensed chemical formula is necessarily limited in its ability to show complex bonding relationships between atoms, especially atoms that have bonds to four or more different substituents.

Since a chemical formula must be expressed as a single line of chemical element symbols, it often cannot be as informative as a true structural formula, which is a graphical representation of the spatial relationship between atoms in chemical compounds (see for example the figure for butane structural and chemical formulae, at right). For reasons of structural complexity, a single condensed chemical formula (or semi-structural formula) may correspond to different molecules, known as isomers. For example glucose shares its molecular formula C6H12O6 with a number of other sugars, including fructose, galactose and mannose. Linear equivalent chemical names exist that can and do specify uniquely any complex structural formula (see chemical nomenclature), but such names must use many terms (words), rather than the simple element symbols, numbers, and simple typographical symbols that define a chemical formula.

Chemical formulae may be used in chemical equations to describe chemical reactions and other chemical transformations, such as the dissolving of ionic compounds into solution. While, as noted, chemical formulae do not have the full power of structural formulae to show chemical relationships between atoms, they are sufficient to keep track of numbers of atoms and numbers of electrical charges in chemical reactions, thus balancing chemical equations so that these equations can be used in chemical problems involving conservation of atoms, and conservation of electric charge

Chemical formulae provide a way to represent any chemical substance using the symbol of the elements present in it. Provided below is a list of the chemical formulas of some common chemical compounds (along with their molecular weights).

Compound name Molecular weight Molecular formula

1 Acetic acid 60.052 g/mol CH3COOH

2 Hydrochloric acid 36.458 g/mol HCl

3 Sulfuric acid ‎98.072 g/mol H2SO4

4 Acetate 59.044 g/mol CH3COO–

5 Ammonia 17.031 g/mol NH3

6 Nitric acid 63.012 g/mol HNO3

7 Phosphoric acid 97.994 g/mol H3PO4

8 Sodium phosphate 119.976 g/mol Na3PO4

9 Calcium carbonate 100.086 g/mol CaCO3

10 Ammonium sulfate 132.134 g/mol (NH4)2SO4

11 Carbonic acid 62.024 g/mol H2CO3

12 Sodium bicarbonate 84.0066 g/mol NaHCO3

13 Sodium hydroxide 39.997 g/mol NaOH

14 Calcium hydroxide 74.092 g/mol Ca(OH)2

15 Ethanol 46.069 g/mol C2H5OH

16 Hydrobromic acid 80.912 g/mol HBr

17 Sulfuric acid 98.072 g/mol H2SO4

18 Nitrous acid ‎47.013 g/mol HNO2

19 Potassium hydroxide 56.11 g/mol KOH

20 Silver nitrate 169.872 g/mol AgNO3

21 Sodium carbonate 105.988 g/mol Na2CO3

22 Sodium chloride 58.44 g/mol NaCl

23 Cellulose 162.1406 g/mol (C6H10O5)n

24 Magnesium hydroxide 58.319 g/mol Mg(OH)2

25 Methane 16.043 g/mol CH4

26 Nitrogen dioxide 30.006 g/mol NO2

27 Potassium hydroxide 56.105 g/mol KOH

28 Sodium nitrate 84.994 g/mol NaNO3

29 Sulfurous acid 82.073 g/mol H2SO3

30 Aluminium sulfate 342.15 g/mol Al2(SO4)3

31 Aluminum oxide 101.96 g/mol Al2O3

32 Ammonia 17.031 g/mol NH3

33 Ammonium nitrate 80.043 g/mol NH4NO3

34 Ammonium phosphate 132.056 g/mol (NH4)3PO4

35 Barium hydroxide 171.341 g/mol Ba(OH)2

36 Carbon tetrachloride 153.811 g/mol CCl4

37 Citric acid 192.123 g/mol C6H8O7

38 Hydrocyanic acid ‎27.026 g/mol HCN

39 Salicylic Acid 138.121 g/mol C7H6O3

40 Hydroiodic acid 127.91 g/mol HI

41 Hypochlorous acid 52.457 g/mol HClO

42 Iron iii oxide 159.687 g/mol Fe2O3

43 Magnesium phosphate 262.855 g/mol Mg3(PO4)2

44 Sodium acetate 82.0343 g/mol C2H3NaO2

45 Sodium sulfate ‎142.036 g/mol Na2SO4

46 Sucrose 342.2965 g/mol C12H22O11

47 Potassium nitrate 101.102 g/mol KNO3

48 Ammonium bicarbonate 96.086 g/mol NH4HCO3

49 Ammonium chloride 53.489 g/mol NH4Cl

50 Ammonium hydroxide 35.046 g/mol NH4OH

51 Calcium nitrate 164.088 g/mol Ca(NO3)2

52 Calcium oxide 56.0774 g/mol CaO

53 Carbon monoxide 28.01 g/mol CO

54 Chlorine gas 70.9 g/mol Cl2

55 Phenol 94.11 g/mol C6H6O

56 Hydrogen peroxide 34.0147 g/mol H2O2

57 Hydroxide 17.007 g/mol OH–

58 Magnesium chloride 95.211 g/mol MgCl2

59 Magnesium hydroxide 58.3197 g/mol Mg(OH)2

60 Potassium chloride 74.5513 g/mol KCl

61 Potassium iodide 166.0028 g/mol KI

62 Sulfur dioxide 64.066 g/mol SO2

63 Glycerin 92.09 g/mol C3H8O3

64 Ammonium sulfate 132.14 g/mol (NH4)2SO4

65 Barium nitrate 261.337 g/mol Ba(NO3)2

66 Calcium acetate 158.17 g/mol C4H6O4Ca

67 Sulfurous Acid 82.07 g/mol H2SO3

68 Iron oxide 159.69 g/mol Fe2O3

69 Potassium carbonate 138.205 g/mol K2CO3

70 Silver chloride ‎143.318 g/mol AgCl

71 Sodium iodide 149.894 g/mol NaI

72 Sodium oxide 61.9789 g/mol Na2O

73 Sodium sulfide 78.0452 g/mol Na2S

74 Sucrose 342.30 g/mol C12H22O11

75 Zinc nitrate 189.388 g/mol Zn(NO3)2

76 Aluminium Sulfate 342.15 g/mol Al2(SO4)3

77 Phenolphthalein 318.32 g/mol C20H14O4

78 Magnesium nitrate 148.313 g/mol Mg(NO3)2

79 Silicon dioxide 60.083 g/mol SiO2

80 Acetone 58.08 g/mol C3H6O

81 Hydroquinone 110.11 g/mol C6H6O2

82 Pyridine 79.1 g/mol C5H5N

83 Ammonium acetate 77.083 g/mol C2H3O2NH4

84 Xylene 106.16 g/mol C8H10

85 Barium sulfate 233.38 g/mol BaSO4

86 Benzene 78.11 g/mol C6H6

87 Bicarbonate 61.016 g/mol CHO3–

88 Chromate 15.992 g/mol CrO42-

89 Methyl Ethyl Ketone 72.107 g/mol C4H8O

90 Cyanide 26.02 g/mol CN−

91 Trichloroacetic acid 163.38 g/mol C2HCl3O2

92 Magnesium sulfate 120.361 g/mol MgSO4

93 Methanol 32.04 g/mol CH3OH

94 Nitrogen dioxide 46.0055 g/mol NO2

95 Oxygen Atomic mass 15.999 g/mol O

96 Methylene blue 319.85 g/mol C16H18ClN3S

97 Sodium sulfite 126.043 g/mol Na2SO3

98 Sulfur trioxide 80.057 g/mol SO3

99 Aluminum phosphate 121.951 g/mol AlPO4

100 Stearic acid 284.484 g/mol C18H36O2

101 Dinitrogen monoxide 44.013 g/mol N2O

102 Carbon monoxide 28.01 g/mol CO

103 Carbonic acid 62.03 g/mol H2CO3

104 Sodium carbonate 105.9888 g/mol Na2CO3

105 Titanium dioxide 233.38 g/mol TiO2

106 Acetonitrile 41.053 g/mol C2H3N

107 Oxalic acid 90.03 g/mol H2C2O4

108 Potassium dichromate 294.185 g/mol K2Cr2O7

109 Salicylic acid 138.121 g/mol C7H6O3

110 Sodium bromide 102.894 g/mol NaBr

111 Sodium hypochlorite 74.439 g/mol NaClO

112 Zinc acetate 183.48 g/mol Zn(CH3COO)2(H2O)2

113 Zinc chloride 136.286 g/mol ZnCl2

114 Zinc hydroxide 99.424 g/mol Zn(OH)2

115 Magnesium carbonate 84.313 g/mol MgCO3

116 Potassium chlorate 122.545 g/mol KClO3

117 Hydrazine 32.0452 g/mol N2H4

118 Ascorbic acid 176.12 g/mol C6H8O6

119 Benzoic acid 122.12 g/mol C7H6O2

120 Resorcinol 110.1 g/mol C6H6O2

121 Chlorine ‎70.9 g/mol Cl2

122 Ammonium nitrate 80.043 g/mol NH4NO3

123 Ammonium phosphate 132.056 g/mol (NH4)3PO4

124 Carbon tetrachloride 153.82 g/mol CCl4

125 Nitrous acid 47.013 g/mol HNO2

126 Maleic acid 116.072 g/mol C4H4O4

129 Sodium metabisulfite 190.107 g/mol Na2S2O5

130 Sodium Hypochlorite 74.439 g/mol NaClO

131 Acetamide 59.068 g/mol C2H5NO

132 Magnesium carbonate 84.3139 g/mol MgCO3

133 Sodium silicate 122.062 g/mol (Na2O)x·SiO2

134 Nitrite 46.005 g/mol NO2−

135 Hydroxide 17.007 g/mol OH−

136 Phosphate 94.9714 g/mol PO43-

137 Dichloromethane 84.93 g/mol CH2Cl2

138 Carbon Disulfide 76.13 g/mol CS2

139 Potassium chromate 194.189 g/mol CrK2O4

140 Zinc sulfate 161.436 g/mol ZnSO4

141 Iodine Atomic mass 126.90 g/mol I

142 Tannic acid 1701.19 g/mol C76H52O46

143 Aluminum 26.982 g/mol Al

144 Perchloric acid 100.46 g/mol HClO4

145 Hypochlorite 51.449 g/mol ClO–

146 Citric acid 192.124 g/mol C6H8O7

147 Potassium Bromide 119.002 g/mol KBr

148 Chromic acid 118.01 g/mol H2CrO4

149 Dihydrogen monoxide 18.01528 g/mol OH2

150 Methyl acetate 74.079 g/mol C3H6O2

151 Dimethyl sulfoxide 78.13 g/mol C2H6OS

152 Hexane 86.18 g/mol C6H14

153 Phosphoric acid 97.994 g/mol H3PO4

154 Eugenol 164.2 g/mol C10H12O2

155 Manganese dioxide 86.9368 g/mol MnO2

156 Dimethyl sulfoxide 78.13 g/mol C2H6OS

157 Lactic acid 90.078 g/mol C3H6O3

158 Sodium potassium tartrate 282.1 g/mol C4H4O6KNa·4H2O

159 Hexamine 140.186 g/mol C6H12N4

160 Lithium hydroxide 23.95 g/mol LiOH

161 Dimethyl sulfoxide 78.13 g/mol C2H6OS

162 Phosphorus pentachloride 208.24 g/mol PCl5

163 Potassium oxide 94.2 g/mol K2O

164 Potassium phosphate 136.084 g/mol KH2PO4

165 Silver acetate 166.91 g/mol AgC2H3O2

166 Sodium citrate 258.06 g/mol Na3C6H5O7

167 Sodium fluoride 41.98817 g/mol NaF

168 Sodium nitrite 68.9953 g/mol NaNO2

169 Sulfate ion 96.06 g/mol SO42−

170 Barium carbonate 197.34 g/mol BaCO3

171 Calcium iodide 293.887 g/mol CaI2

172 Hydrogen sulfate 97.064 g/mol HSO4–

173 Lithium oxide 29.88 g/mol Li2O

174 Dimethylglyoxime 116.12 g/mol C4H8N2O2

175 Permanganate 158.034 g/mol KMnO4

176 Silver phosphate 418.58 g/mol Ag3PO4

177 Sodium carbonate 105.9888 g/mol Na2CO3

178 Ammonium bromide 97.943 g/mol NH4Br

179 Calcium phosphate 310.18 g/mol Ca3(PO4)2

180 Dichromate 294.185 g/mol K2Cr2O7

181 Aluminum sulfide 150.158 g/mol Al2S3

182 Ammonium carbonate 96.086 g/mol (NH4)2CO3

183 Barium chloride 208.23 g/mol BaCl2

184 Calcium nitrate 164.088 g/mol Ca(NO3)2

185 Hydroiodic acid 127.91 g/mol HI

186 Nitrogen monoxide 30.006 g/mol NO

187 Potassium carbonate 138.205 g/mol K2CO3

188 Potassium iodide 166.0028 g/mol KI

189 Potassium nitrate 101.102 g/mol KNO3

190 Sodium oxide 61.9789 g/mol Na2O

191 Fructose 180.16 g/mol C6H12O6

192 Magnesium iodide 278.1139 g/mol MgI2

193 Magnesium sulfide 56.38 g/mol MgS

194 Ozone 48 g/mol O3

195 Potassium cyanide 65.12 g/mol KCN

196 Silver oxide 231.735 g/mol Ag2O

197 Sodium chromate 161.97 g/mol Na2CrO4

198 Sodium peroxide 77.98 g/mol Na2O2

199 Toluene 92.14 g/mol C7H8

200 Zinc carbonate 125.388 g/mol ZnCO3

201 Zinc phosphate 386.11 g/mol Zn3(PO4)2

202 Zinc sulfide 97.474 g/mol ZnS

203 Para dichlorobenzene 147.01 g/mol C6H4Cl2

204 Boric acid 61.83 g/mol H3BO3

206 Magnesium phosphate 262.855 g/mol Mg3(PO4)2

207 Oxalate ‎88.018 g/mol C2O42−

208 Potassium bicarbonate 100.114 g/mol KHCO3

209 Potassium hypochlorite 90.55 g/mol KClO

210 Potassium nitrite 85.103 g/mol KNO2

211 Bromothymol Blue 624.384 g/mol C27H28Br2O5S

212 Ammonium iodide 144.94 g/mol NH4I

213 Ammonium nitrate ‎80.043 g/mol (NH4)(NO3)

214 Ammonium nitrite 64.06 g/mol NH4NO2

215 Ammonium oxide 52.0763 g/mol (NH4)2O

216 Argon gas 39.948 g/mol Ar

217 Barium bromide 297.14 g/mol BaBr2

218 Barium iodide 391.136 g/mol BaI2

219 Bromate 127.901 g/mol BrO3–

220 Dinitrogen trioxide 76.01 g/mol N2O3

221 Ethylene glycol 62.07 g/mol C2H6O2

222 Hypochlorous acid 52.46 g/mol HClO

223 Nickel sulfate 154.75 g/mol NiSO4

224 Helium atomic mass ‎4.002602 u He

225 Iodide 253.809 g/mol I

226 Lead ii acetate ‎325.29 g/mol Pb(C2H3O2)2

227 Lithium chloride 42.394 g/mol LiCl

228 Phosphate ion 94.9714 g/mol PO43-

229 Potassium fluoride 58.0967 g/mol KF

230 Potassium sulfite 158.26 g/mol K2SO3

231 Silver carbonate 275.7453 g/mol Ag2CO3

232 Sodium cyanide 49.0072 g/mol NaCN

233 Sodium nitride 82.976 g/mol Na3N

234 Strontium chloride 158.52 g/mol SrCl2

235 Strontium nitrate 211.628 g/mol Sr(NO3)2

236 Urea ‎60.056 g/mol CH4N2O

237 Bleach ‎74.439 g/mol NaClO

238 Carbonic acid 62.03 g/mol H2CO3

239 Lithium bromide 86.844 g/mol LiBr

240 Aluminum fluoride 83.9767 g/mol AlF3

241 Barium fluoride 175.34 g/mol BaF2

242 Butanoic acid 88.11 g/mol C4H8O2

243 Calcium hydride 42.094 g/mol CaH2

245 Copper ii carbonate 123.55 g/mol CuCO3

246 Ethanol 46.07 g/mol CH3CH2OH

247 Fluorine 18.998403 u F

248 Lithium phosphate 115.79 g/mol Li3PO4

249 Glycerol 92.09382 g/mol C3H8O3

250 Hypobromous acid 96.911 g/mol HBrO

251 Hypoiodous acid 143.89 g/mol HIO

252 Lead iodide 461.01 g/mol PbI2

253 Lithium iodide 133.844 g/mol LiI

254 Magnesium oxide 40.3044 g/mol MgO

255 Urethane 89.09 g/mol C3H7NO2

256 Nickel nitrate 182.703 g/mol Ni(NO3)2

257 Potassium chloride 74.5513 g/mol KCl

258 Potassium nitrate 101.102 g/mol KNO3

259 Sodium dichromate 261.97 g/mol Na2Cr2O7

260 Sodium nitrate 84.994 g/mol NaNO3

261 Tartaric acid 150.087 g/mol C4H6O6

262 Zinc iodide 319.22 g/mol ZnI2

263 Bromine 54.9380 g/mol Br

264 Aluminum bromide 266.69 g/mol AlBr3

265 Sodium Percarbonate 157.01 g/mol C2H6Na4O12

267 Nickel acetate 178.797 g/mol C4H8O4Ni

268 Sodium Thiosulfate 158.11 g/mol Na2S2O3

269 Acetaldehyde 44.05 g/mol C2H4O

270 Copper sulfate 159.609 g/mol CuSO4

271 Mannitol 182.172 g/mol C6H14O6

272 Calcium Chloride 110.98 g/mol CaCl2

273 Hydrocyanic acid 27.0253 g/mol HCN

274 Monosodium Glutamate 169.111 g/mol C5H8NO4Na

275 Polystyrene 104.1 g/mol (C8H8)n

276 Calcium Carbide 64.099 g/mol CaC2

277 Tetrachloroethylene 165.83 g/mol C2Cl4

278 Sodium Chlorate 106.44 g/mol NaClO3

279 Potassium Iodate 214.001 g/mol KIO3

280 Sodium Percarbonate 157.01 g/mol C2H6Na4O12

281 Lead Acetate 325.29 g/mol Pb(C2H3O2)2

282 Potassium Thiocyanate 97.181 g/mol KSCN

283 Butane 58.12 g/mol C4H10

284 Maltose 342.3 g/mol C12H22O11

285 Polyurethane Foam 548.589 g/mol C27H36N2O10

286 Formaldehyde 30.031 g/mol CH2O

287 Formic Acid 46.03 g/mol HCOOH

288 Sulfur Hexafluoride 146.06 g/mol SF6

289 Phosphorus Trichloride 137.33 g/mol PCl3

290 Ethane 30.07 g/mol C2H6

291 Dinitrogen Pentoxide 30.07 g/mol N2O5

292 Phosphorous Acid 82 g/mol H3PO3

293 Potassium Ferrocyanide 368.35 g/mol K4Fe(CN)6

294 Xenon Difluoride 169.29 g/mol XeF2

295 Diatomic Bromine 159.808 g/mol Br2

296 Phenyl 77.106 g/mol C6H5

297 Phosphorus Triiodide 411.6872 g/mol PI3

298 Peroxydisulfuric Acid 194.14 g/mol H2S2O8

299 Monopotassium Phosphate 136.086 g/mol KH2PO4

300 Dipotassium Phosphate 174.2 g/mol K2HPO4

301 Aluminium hydroxide 78.00 g/mol Al(OH)3

302 Ammonium persulfate 228.18 g/mol (NH4)2S2O8

303 Sodium borate 201.22 g/mol Na2[B4O5(OH)4]·8H2O

304 Chloroacetic acid 94.49 g/mol C2H3O2Cl

305 Potassium acetate 98.142 g/mol CH3CO2K

306 Barium oxide 153.326 g/mol BaO

307 Copper(I) Oxide 143.09 g/mol Cu2O

308 Lithium Bromide 86.845 g/mol LiBr

309 Copper Hydroxide 97.561 g/mol Cu(OH)2

310 Tin Oxide 97.561 g/mol SnO2

311 Chlorine Trifluoride 92.448 g/mol ClF3

312 Ethylene 28.054 g/mol C2H4

313 Acetylene 26.038 g/mol C2H2

314 Chromic Oxide 151.9904 g/mol Cr2O3

315 Sodium bisulfate 120.06 g/mol NaHSO4

316 Copper (II) chloride 134.45 g/mol CuCl2

317 Mercuric chloride 271.52 g/mol HgCl2

318 Tin (II) chloride 189.60 g/mol SnCl2

319 Propane 44.097 g/mol C3H8

320 Lead (IV) oxide 239.1988 g/mol