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Empirical Formula

The empirical formula is the simplest whole number ratio of atoms of each element in a compound.
Some substances do not exist as individual molecules. For example sodium chloride is an ionic salt that exists as a giant lattice. The formula NaCl gives the whole number ratio of atoms of sodium and chlorine.NaCl is also called the formula unit when calculating relative masses.

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Specification: OCR Chemistry A (H032), AS-level, 2.1.3 Amount of substance. Topic: Amount of Substance.

Key terms in this lesson

Salt
A compound formed when the hydrogen ions in an acid are replaced by metal ions or ammonium ions.

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