Key Stage 4
Meaning
An empirical formula is the simplest ratio of the different types of atom in a compound.
About Empirical Formulae
The empirical formula of a compound may not be the same as the chemical formula:
- Ethane
- Chemical Formula C2H6
- Empirical Formula: CH3
- Ethene
- Chemical Formula: C2H4
- Empirical Formula: CH2
- Empirical formulae are calculated from the amount of atoms in a chemical reaction.
- The number of atoms can be found if you know the mass of different elements and the relative atomic mass of the elements in the reaction.