Chemical Formula of Common Compounds

Chemical Formulas of compounds are symbolic representations of their chemical composition i.e. they tell us about which elements the chemical compound is made of and in what ratio. For example, the chemical formula of common salt is NaCl which tells us that it is made up of Sodium(Na) and Chlorine(Cl) in a 1:1 ratio. In this article, we will learn about the chemical formulae of some common compounds in detail.

What is Chemical Compound Formula?

A chemical formula is a representation of a substance’s molecular composition in terms of the symbols representing the components that make up the molecule. A molecular formula is another name for a chemical formula. 

An element’s or a compound’s chemical formula can be used. A chemical formula is a technique of presenting information on the chemical proportions of atoms that make up a chemical compound or molecule using chemical element symbols, numbers, and other symbols like parentheses, dashes, brackets, and commas.

Formulae(Symbols) of Elements

Chemical formula of an element is a description of the molecule’s composition, with the symbol indicating the element and the subscript indicating the number of atoms in one molecule. 

Since one molecule of hydrogen contains two hydrogen atoms, the formula for hydrogen is H₂. One molecule of hydrogen element includes two hydrogen atoms, according to the formula H₂. Also, 2H denotes two separate hydrogen atoms, H₂ denotes one hydrogen molecule, and 2H₂ denotes two hydrogen molecules. 

Similarly, oxygen’s molecular formula is O₂, nitrogen’s molecular formula is N₂, and chlorine’s molecular formula is Cl₂. Since inert gases like helium, none, and argon are monoatomic, they have the same symbols. There are no unique equations for the metals; they are all represented by their symbols.

The following table lists the molecular formulas for some of the most common elements:

Elements	Formula
Hydrogen	H2
Chlorine	Cl2
Oxygen	O2
Bromine	Br2
Nitrogen	N2
Iodine	I2
Phosphorous	P4

Formulae of Compounds

Chemical formula of a compound represents the elements present in the substance’s molecule in terms of their symbols. In other words, the formula of a compound tells us “the kind of atoms” present in one molecule of the compound, as well as the number of atoms of various elements present. 

A compound’s chemical formula is a description of its composition in which the chemical symbols indicate which elements are present and the subscripts indicate how many atoms of each element are present in one molecule. A compound’s chemical formula is a symbolic representation of the compound’s chemical composition. A chemical formula gives information about the elements that make up a compound’s molecules, as well as the ratio in which these elements’ atoms combine to form those molecules. 

Chemical formulae provide insight and distinction into a compound’s chemical composition. They also show the proportions in which the various constituents combine to generate the desired combination. While representing a compound in a chemical equation, its chemical formula is important. Ions, free radicals, and other chemical species can all be represented using chemical formulas. Most elements have only their chemical symbol as their formula. In balanced chemical equations, a chemical formula is used to represent an element or compound.

Chemical formulas and elements found in several common molecular compounds are listed below.

Compound	Formula	Elements present
Carbon dioxide	CO2	C and O
Water	H2O	H and O
Sulphur dioxide	SO2	S and O
Ammonia	NH3	N and H
Hydrogen chloride	HCl	H and Cl
Methane	CH4	C and H
Ethanol	C2H5OH	C, H, and O
Hydrogen sulphide	H2S	H and S

Types of Chemical Formulae

There are various types of chemical formulae and all the chemical formulae represent different attribute of the chemical compound. In general the chemical formula represent the molecular formula of the compound that is the representation of the molecule of the compound. There are three general types of chemical formulae that are,

• Molecular Formula
• Emperical Formula
• Structural Formula

Now let’s learn about them in detail.

Molecular Formula

The molecular formula of any compound represent the molecule of the compound and it tells us that how many atoms and in which ratio they are combined to form that compound. The molecular formula of Glucose is C₆H₁₂O₆ it tells us that in forming a glucose molecule we require 6 carbon atoms, 12 hydrogen atoms and 6 oxygen atoms.

Emperical Formula

The empirical formula of any compound tells us that how many atoms are required to a compound. It also tells us the ratio in which the atoms combine to form the compounds. For example the empirical formula for glucose is CH₂O this tells us that in forming glucose we need carbon, hydrogen and oxygen atom in 1:2:1 ratio.

Structural Formula

The structural formula of any compound tells us the exact structure of the compound its tell us which atom forms bond with which atom in forming the compound.

Importance of Chemical Formulae of Compounds

The importance of Chemical Formulae of Compounds can be understood as,

• Compound’s name is represented by a formula.
• Names of all the elements in the molecule are given in formulae.
• Number of atoms of each element contained in a molecule is given by formulae.
• One molecule of a compound is represented by a formula.
• Formulae denote a definite mass of a substance.

List of Some Common chemical Compounds

The list of some common chemical compound of chemistry are tabulated below with their properties and general uses.

Common Name	Chemical Formula	Chemical Name	General Uses
Baking Soda	NaHCO3	Sodium Bicarbonate	It is used for baking purposes.
Bleaching Powder	CaOCl2	Calcium Oxychloride	It is used as a disinfectant and as a bleaching agent.
Blue Vitriol	CuSO4.xH2O	Copper Sulphate	It is used for fungus control.
Borax	Na2[B4O5(OH)4].8H2O	Sodium Borate	It is used for manufacturing detergent.
Carbolic Acid	C6H5OH	Phenol	It is used as a home cleaner and disinfectant.
Caustic Potash	KOH	Potassium Hydroxide	It is used in the manufacturing of fertilizers and soaps
Chloroform	CHCl3	Trichloro methane	It is used as a solvent and is used in manufacturing floor polish.
Common Salt	NaCl	Sodium Chloride	It is used for flavouring and preserving food.
Dry Ice	CO2	Solid Carbon Dioxide	It is used as a food preservative.
Galena	PbS	Lead(II) Sulphide	It is used in pottery.
Green Vitriol	FeSO4.7H2O	Ferrous Sulphate Heptahydrate	It is used in the treatment of sewage water
Gypsum	CuSO4.2H2O	Calcium Sulphate dihydrate	It is used in home manufacturing.
Heavy Water	D2O	Deuterium Oxide	It is used as a moderator in nuclear reactors.
Laughing Gas	N2O	Nitrous Oxide	It is used by dentists.
Quick lime	CaO	Calcium Oxide	It is used in iron and steel manufacturing.
Slacked lime	Ca(OH)2	Calcium Hydroxide	It is used in plaster and mortar
Lime Stone	CaCO3	Calcium Carbonate	It is used as marble
Caustic Soda	NaOH	Sodium Hydroxide	It is used in the manufacturing of paper, aluminium and other.
Marsh Gas	CH4	Methane	It is a poisonous gas which is mainly found in mines.
Milk of Magnesia	Mg(OH)2	Magnesium Hydroxide	It is used as an antacid.
Spirit of Niter	HNO3	Nitric Acid	It is used in the production of fertilizers and explosives.
Muriatic Acid	HCl	Hydrochloric Acid	It is used in food and leather processing.
Oil of Vitriol	H2SO4	Sulphuric Acid	It is used in the manufacturing of fertilizers.
Plaster of Paris	CaSO4.1/2H2O	Calcium Sulphate Hemihydrate	It is used as a protective coating for walls.
Quick Silver	Hg	Mercury	It is used in barometers and clinical thermometers.

FAQs on Chemical Compounds Formulas

1. What are Chemical Formula of Compound?

The chemical formula of any compound represents the atoms and their ratio that are used to form a compound. For example the chemical compound for carbon dioxide is CO₂ that tells us that in forming a carbon dioxide we need one carbon molecule that is attached with two oxygen molecules.

2. What is Difference between O₂ and 2O?

O₂ indicates that one molecule of oxygen element contains 2 atoms of oxygen and 2O indicates two separate atoms of oxygen.

3. What is Chemical Formula of Sodium Chloride?

The chemical formula for Sodium Chloride is NaCl. It is also called common salt.

4. What is Chemical Formula of Bleaching Powder?

The chemical formula for Bleaching Powder is CaOCl₂

5. What is an Atom?

The smallest unit of the matter that participate in a chemical reaction are called atoms. Atoms are believed to be indestructible but modern science has prove that atoms are further divided into smaller parts. Atoms combined in different ratios to form the molecules.

6. What is a Molecule?

The group of ayoms that represent the physical and chemical properties of a compound are called the molecule. A molecule represent the smallest unit that is replicated to form the whole compound.