structural formula

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noun Chemistry.

a chemical formula showing the linkage of the atoms in a molecule diagrammatically, as H–O–H.

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Compare empirical formula, molecular formula.

Origin of structural formula

First recorded in 1885–90

Words nearby structural formula

struck, struck jury, struck measure, structural, structural anthropology, structural formula, structural functionalism, structural gene, structural geology, structural iron, structuralism

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

How to use structural 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
Nor do these studies address the structural and systematic issues that contribute to obesity, such as poverty and stress.
Why Your New Year’s Diet Will Fail|Carrie Arnold|December 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Common sense is not a just a normative judgment about wisdom, but a structural feature of any functioning organization.
Red Tape Is Strangling Good Samaritans|Philip K. Howard|December 27, 2014|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 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 structural formula

structural formula

noun

a chemical formula showing the composition and structure of a molecule. The atoms are represented by symbols and the structure is indicated by showing the relative positions of the atoms in space and the bonds between themH–C≡C–H is the structural formula of acetylene See also empirical formula, molecular 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 structural formula

structural formula

[ strŭk′chər-əl ]

A chemical formula that shows the number and kinds of atoms in a molecule and how the atoms and bonds in the molecule are arranged.

Scientific definitions for structural formula

structural formula

[ strŭk′chər-əl ]

A chemical formula that shows how the atoms making up a compound are arranged within the molecule. For example, the structural formula of aspirin is CH3COOC6H4COOH, indicating that it consists of an acetyl group (CH3COO) attached to the carboxylic acid (COOH) of a phenyl group (C6H4). Compare empirical formula molecular formula.