empirical formula

nounChemistry.

a chemical formula indicating the elements of a compound and their relative proportions, as (CH2O)n.

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Origin of empirical formula

First recorded in 1820–30

Compare molecular formula, structural formula.

Words Nearby empirical formula

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use empirical formula in a sentence

Guetta is himself evidently at a loss to grasp the significance of the empirical formula, "Listen and imitate."
The Psychology of Singing | David C. Taylor
If now the derivative is formed entirely without the hydrolysis the empirical formula C6H6O.
Researches on Cellulose | C. F. Cross
The principal constituent of the crude material is the pure gutta, a hydrocarbon of the empirical formula C10H16.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 12, Slice 6 | Various

British Dictionary definitions for empirical formula

empirical formula

noun

a chemical formula indicating the proportion of each element present in a molecule: C 6 H 12 O 6 is the molecular formula of sucrose whereas CH 2 O is its empirical formula Compare molecular formula, structural formula
a formula or expression obtained from experimental data rather than theory

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for empirical formula

empirical formula

A chemical formula that indicates the relative proportions of the elements in a molecule rather than the actual number of atoms of the elements. The empirical formula of a compound may be simpler than its molecular formula, which is a multiple of the empirical formula. For example, glucose has the molecular formula C6H12O6 but the empirical formula CH2O. Compare molecular formula structural formula.

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