| empirical formula | |
| —n | |
| 1. | molecular formula Compare structural formula a chemical formula indicating the proportion of each element present in a molecule: C6H12O6 is the molecular formula of sucrose whereas CH2O is its empirical formula |
| 2. | a formula or expression obtained from experimental data rather than theory |
| a chattering or flighty, light-headed person. |
| a printed punctuation mark (‽), available only in some typefaces, designed to combine the question mark (?) and the exclamation point (!), indicating a mixture of query and interjection, as after a rhetorical question. |
empirical formula n.
A chemical formula that indicates the relative proportions of the elements in a molecule rather than the actual number of atoms of the elements.
| 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. |