molecular formula

Save This Word!

noun Chemistry.

a chemical formula that indicates the kinds of atoms and the number of each kind in a molecule of a compound.

COMPARE MEANINGS

Click for a side-by-side comparison of meanings. Use the word comparison feature to learn the differences between similar and commonly confused words.

QUIZ

QUIZ YOURSELF ON "IS" VS. "ARE"

"Is" it time for a new quiz? "Are" you ready? Then prove your excellent skills on using "is" vs. "are."

Question 1 of 7

IS and ARE are both forms of which verb?

have

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Compare empirical formula, structural formula.

Origin of molecular formula

First recorded in 1900–05

Words nearby molecular formula

molecular cloud, molecular computing, molecular disease, molecular distillation, molecular film, molecular formula, molecular genetics, molecularity, molecular knife, molecular layer of cerebellar cortex, molecular medicine

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use molecular formula in a sentence

Indeed, Lion Air, with 45 percent of the domestic Indonesian airline market, has swallowed the Fernandes formula whole.
Annoying Airport Delays Might Prevent You From Becoming the Next AirAsia 8501|Clive Irving|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
I'm just not sure that the formula continues to work for us at 50 given other uses we might have for that money.
Inside Sony’s ‘Pineapple Express 2 Drama’: Leaked Emails Reveal Fight Over Stoner Comedy Sequel|William Boot|December 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Methane (chemical formula CH4) is one of the simplest hydrocarbons, which literally means “containing hydrogen and carbon.”
Methane on Mars: Life or Just Gas?|Matthew R. Francis|December 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The formula of most of their programs has Drew doing the house hunting and Jonathan doing the design and construction.
How the Property Brothers Became Your Mom’s Favorite TV Stars|Kevin Fallon|November 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Then a critical change was ordered—a fuel using a new formula that was thought to be more stable and deliver more power.
Virgin Galactic’s Flight Path to Disaster: A Clash of High Risk and Hyperbole|Clive Irving|November 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The formula would be: “The pump invented—Drain a well ,” or Water raised in a hollow.
Assimilative Memory|Marcus Dwight Larrowe (AKA Prof. A. Loisette)
The formula for the date of its foundation in 1636 may be thus expressed—Harvard College founded; the chum age .
Assimilative Memory|Marcus Dwight Larrowe (AKA Prof. A. Loisette)
They had been in a rut long enough, and they laughed at the Colonel's formula, which nearly every child knew by heart.
The Cromptons|Mary J. Holmes
Then he spoke of the Colonel, laughing at his peculiarities, and asking if she had ever heard of the Crompton "Formula."
The Cromptons|Mary J. Holmes
We all use the formula of "your most obedient, humble servant," even when we intend anything but humility or obedience.
Notes and Queries, Number 178, March 26, 1853|Various

British Dictionary definitions for molecular formula

molecular formula

noun

a chemical formula indicating the numbers and types of atoms in a moleculeH 2 SO 4 is the molecular formula of sulphuric acid Compare empirical formula, structural formula

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

Medical definitions for molecular formula

molecular formula

A chemical formula that shows the number and kinds of atoms in a molecule.

Scientific definitions for molecular formula

molecular formula

A chemical formula that shows the total number and kinds of atoms in a molecule, but not their structural arrangement. For example, the molecular formula of aspirin is C9H8O4. Compare empirical formula structural formula.