Everything about Empirical Formula totally explained
In
chemistry, the
empirical formula of a
chemical compound is a simple expression of the relative number of each type of
atom in it. An empirical formula makes no reference to
isomerism, structure, or absolute number of atoms. Empirical formulae are the standard for most ionic compounds, such as
CaCl2, and for
macromolecules, such as
SiO2. The term
empirical refers to the process of
elemental analysis, a technique of
analytical chemistry used to determine the relative percent composition of a pure chemical substance by element.
In contrast, the
molecular formula identifies a multiple of the smallest whole number ratio in moles.
For example,
n-hexane, a
chemical compound has the
molecular formula CH
3CH
2CH
2CH
2CH
2CH
3, implying that it has a straight chain structure, 6
carbon atoms, and 14
hydrogen atoms. Hexane's molecular formula is C
6H
14, and its empirical formula would be C
3H
7 showing a C:H ratio of 3:7.
Use in physics
In
physics, an
empirical formula is a special mathematical
equation that predicts observed results, but has no known theoretical basis to explain why it works, see also
Phenomenology.
An example was the
Rydberg formula to predict the
wavelengths of
hydrogen spectral lines. Proposed in
1888, it perfectly predicted the wavelengths of the
Lyman series, but it wasn't clear why it worked until
Niels Bohr produced his
Bohr model of the atom in
1913.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Empirical Formula'.
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