Chemical Formula Of Common Compounds

Chemistry is said to be a subject mostly comprising of reactions along with formulas. We come across various chemical substances in our daily life. Some of the substances we use in our house such as the staples present in the medicine cabinet comprise chemical substances. All these chemicals are bound up with atoms in a fixed proportion and also these are arranged in a certain way. So, to figure out what kind of proportions are these and their arrangement within the substance, the chemical formula is more needed.

Writing Chemical Formulae

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Importance of Chemistry FormulasTypes of Chemistry Formulas or Chemical FormulaHow to write Chemical FormulaList of Chemical Compound Formula

The chemical formula gives us a clear understanding regarding the chemical substances, like how many and what the chemical elements of the Periodic table consists of, along with the way they are arranged. There are about some chemistry formulas coming in the chemistry as given below.

Importance of Chemistry Formulas

Chemical Formula in Chemistry is like a shorthand used to represent the elements in a compound. The Periodic Table has elements along with the symbols. These Chemical symbols are used for representing different individual elements like H is hydrogen, O for oxygen, Ca for calcium, Na for Sodium and so on. The Substances which have more than two or more atoms bonded together, and also more than one or more elements are called compounds. Hence to know the nature of these chemical compounds and their reactions, chemistry formulas play a vital role. It gives an idea of how a substance has formed and the proportion of elements involved in that particular reaction.

Types of Chemistry Formulas or Chemical Formula

In chemistry, there are a various number of iterations of the chemical formula of a compound, some of them are given below.

Molecular Formula:

The molecular formula gives you the number of elements present in a compound. In this formula, the elements are written in the form of their symbols as in the periodic table where the number of atoms is written as a subscript. For example- the molecular formula for glucose is written as C₆H₁₂O₆.

Empirical Formula:

This formula tells about the ratio of the elements present in a compound. This formula is usually obtained based on the analysis of experimental data. The empirical formula for glucose is written as CH2O. Empirical Formulas are usually said to be derived from the molecular formulas.

Structural Formula:

As the name tells you, the structural formula provides an idea of how the atoms in the molecule or the compound are arranged along with their bond formations.

How to write Chemical Formula

In order to write a chemical formula, it is important to know the symbol of the elements present in the compound, formula of the radicals and the valency of the elements in that compound. Following points should be kept in mind while writing a chemical formula.

• • Most of the compounds are binary compounds i.e. they have two elements. Compounds with more than two elements are also known.
  • An atom with a positive charge is called a cation whereas an atom with the negative charge is called an anion.
  • For a compound containing a metal and a non-metal, the metal is named first followed by the non-metal. For example: NaCl which consists of Na⁺ (metal ion) and Cl^– (non-metal ion)
  • Anions having -1 negative charge usually have a suffix as –ide. For example: F^– – Floride
  • Anions having oxy
  • anions (oxygen + another element) usually have a suffix as –ate. For example – SO₄^2- (Sulphate)
  • When a polyatomic anion has H^– ion, bi- or hydrogen is used as a suffix. For example – HCO₃^–-Bicarbonate or hydrogen carbonate
  • Some polyatomic anions can be named as:

Solved Examples

Problem 1: In one molecule of the compound, determine how many atoms of every element are present for each one of these chemical formulas.

1.       HCN – hydrogen cyanide –It’s a toxic gas
2.       C₁₈H₂₁NO₃ – codeine, a painkilling drug
3.       Ca₁₀(PO₄)₆(OH)₂ – Hydroxyapatite, that is present in the enamel of the tooth

Answer:

1. One atom is present in each of the elements hydrogen, carbon and nitrogen, respectively. Remember that the subscript 1 is understood when no subscript is mentioned.
2. This formula points out that in one molecule of the compound, 18 carbon atoms, 21 hydrogen atoms, one nitrogen atom and three oxygen atoms are existent.
3. There are ten calcium atoms. The amounts of phosphorous, hydrogen and oxygen are affected by the subscripts outside the parentheses. There are six phosphorous atoms and two hydrogen atoms existent. Oxygen atoms exist in two positions in the formula. There are overall 26 oxygen atoms: two from the OH subunit (2×1) and 24 from the PO₄ subunits (6×4)

List of Chemical Compound Formula

There are several chemical formulae, however, here is a list of most important Chemical Formulas in chemistry.

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