Interpreting Chemical Formula

• Chemical formula


  Tells us the elements in a molecule and the numbers of atoms of each element
• Chemical formula


  • No number to the right of an element means 1 atom of that element
  • Small number to the right of an element indicates the number of atoms of that element
• Interpreting a chemical formula

  1. Identify the elements

  2. Determine the number of atoms of each element
• In a specific compound, the number of atoms of each element is fixed and cannot be changed, otherwise it becomes a different compound
• Brackets in a chemical formula indicate that the numbers inside the brackets apply to everything inside the brackets